All's Fair in Love and War
by Angel's blue eyed girl
Summary: Damon is a man who's been burned. Katherine is a woman who gets what she wants. When her twin Elena shows up on her doorstep, she hatches a plan to have Elena help her get the brother she really wants back in her bed. Only Damon falls for Elena instead!
1. Chapter 1

**All's fair in Love and War**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. :( **

**Rating will be a definite M**

**Okay guys, this idea simply would not go away, so even though it is *not* mmy norm...I simply had to write it.**

**Summary: Damon Salvatore is a sexy, wealthy Pharmaceutical Owner but he's been burned…by his brother's wife. Katherine Pierce-Salvatore always gets what she wants and she wants *both* Salvatore Brothers, but when her twin sister Elena shows up on her doorstep, looking for help, she decides to use Elena's situation to her benefit and asks her sister to seduce her husband-the brother she wants _out_ of her bed-so she can get the other brother back into it…the only problem is Damon falls for Elena instead of falling for Katherine's plan.**

**This *is* a Damon/Elena fic…But there are bits and parts of D&K.**

**Okay guys, so **_**I'm a little nervous about this because this is my first foray into an All Human fic. I'm usually a live-for-the-fangs-girl…but this idea just would not go away. So…here I am... in an awkward place cause I've never written a fic like this, so please bear with me, okay?**_

**_Now...btw: For story purposes, I had the Gilbert's hail from Mystic falls and the Salvatore's from Fells' Church because in this fic they had never met before Damon met Kat._**

**_Thanks for reading._**

**_Jenna_**

**_D&E**********************D&E*******************************D&E***********************D&E_**

**Prologue: Salvatore Boarding House: Fells's Church.**

The fading light of the setting sun coming through the enormous windows in the room cast orange shadows upon the couple moving together on the king-sized bed, giving them an other worldly beauty. The woman was on her knees, her back pressed against the muscular chest of the man kneeling behind her as he moved inside her in a furious rhythm. The only sound in the room was the sound of flesh on flesh and the labored, pant-filled breathing of the couple, as they raced towards completion.

"Daaammmonnn," the brunette whined, raising her arms to wrap them around his neck, nails digging into the flesh there as he fucked her near senseless—getting her right to the edge and then not quite pushing her over. "Harder! Please!" He obliged and she cried out, "Yes, oh God-yes!" as her body began to shudder and shake.

He slowed down once again, causing the woman in his bed to scream in frustration. "Beg, Kat," Damon growled, his hand tightening on her shoulder until it was almost painful. "Beg me and I'll let you come…"

"Damon, stop! Please…you're being cruel."

"I said beg," he breathed against her ear, sending shivers up and down her spine. His hand drifted down her heaving belly to cup her sex. "Beg me for it and you'll get it…" His thumb circled her sweet spot, "right now."

Katherine Pierce did _not_ beg! She _took_ what she wanted, when she wanted it. Men worshipped the ground she walked on, but this man saw through her act and he had her at his mercy. She was desperate and they both knew it. So…much her shame, she did—without thought or hesitation—she begged him to give her the relief she craved.

He laughed wickedly. "Good girl," he taunted, before giving her what she needed; driving into her hard and fast until they reached their peaks and collapsed onto the bed in a tangle of naked, sweaty flesh.

After a moment or two, Damon rolled off her and onto his back. He threw an arm over his face as he got his breathing under control. She was still trembling next to him, but he could feel the anger rolling off her in waves for his treatment of her during their romp. It didn't faze him a bit. In fact, it pleased the hell out of him. She deserved that and then some!

"You're a son of a bitch," she muttered as she sat up and glared down at him, his expensive Egyptian cotton sheet clutched to her chest.

He removed his arm and let her get a look at his lop sided smirk. "Be pissed at me all you want, Kat, but don't bring my Mother into it."

"Bastard!" she snarled and the loud *smack* of her palm meeting his cheek echoed around the room.

Damon's eyes narrowed as the left side of his face exploded in pain. He bolted upright in bed and she raised her hand again, but he grabbed her wrist before she could swing. "Do it again and I swear…you'll regret it," he bit out between clenched teeth before tossing her arm away from him.

Their eyes clashed; arctic blue meeting furious brown. Time seemed to stand still and stretch until something in Damon's eyes abruptly took the wind out of Katherine's sails.

Her gaze softened immediately and she gave him one of her come hither smiles that never failed to make a man melt. "Damon…I'm sorry I hit you," she said, reaching for him, but he neatly avoided her grasp.

Damon swung his legs over the side of the bed, keeping his back to Katherine as he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "You know…" he said idly as he stood up, unmindful of his nudity. It wasn't like she hadn't seen it before. "I think we've ran our course here," he told her as he went to his dresser and pulled out a pair of silk pajama pants. He slipped them on and finally turned to look at the naked woman in his bed. She was kneeling there, the sheet wrapped around her beautiful body, her hair a wild tangle of chocolate curls looking a gorgeous as ever and yet Damon felt nothing—absolutely nothing for her—except, maybe contempt. The smile that curled his lips was anything but friendly. It was cruel, malicious even. "Hey, don't get me wrong, it was fun. Great even, but I think it's time you stop sneaking into my room Katherine and stay in your husband's bed. After all he_ is_ the one you chose."

His cruel smile turned into a vicious smirk when she remained frozen to the spot, seemingly dazed at his about face. He made a *tsking* sound. "You do remember your husband, right?" he chided, wagging a finger at her. "You know…" he reminded tauntingly, "my brother…Stefan…the one you left _me_ for and married." He tossed her clothes at her callously signaling to her it was time for her to leave. "Ringing any bells, lover or did I finally manage to fuck that crafty little brain of yours right out of your head?"

"Damon," she said, clutching the sheet and her clothes to her chest. "Don't do this."

"It's already done," he told her. "It's called closure. Now, I have it." He let his gaze linger on her disheveled form for a second longer before turning on his heel and heading towards his en-suite bathroom. "Don't be here when I get out," he tossed back at her over his shoulder before exiting the room without looking back.

Katherine's teeth gritted at his brusque dismissal. No one treated her like that. No one! Especially not the man who'd once hung on her every sentence and had professed to love her above all others. She wrapped the sheet more firmly around her slender body and followed after him. "You're not going to end it like that, Damon!" she railed at him as she stormed into his bathroom.

Damon didn't bother to comment or even spare her a glance as he dropped his pants and stepped into his shower. It was all glass, offering no protection from a voyeur and big enough to fit four or five people comfortably, with dual nozzles at each end. He didn't have to look her way to feel Katherine's hungry gaze roam all over his body as he stood under the hot spray of water. His game had worked—she was _now_ just as addicted to him as he'd once been to her. Good. She deserved to know what it felt like.

"Damon, are you listening to me?"

He winced at the volume of her voice, but refused to allow her to bait him or get a reaction out of him. Those days were long, _long _past. "Not really," he replied as he grabbed his shampoo.

"We need to talk about this. You can't just throw me away like that!" she exclaimed.

He didn't reply. He simply proceeded to lather up his hair and then rinsed. Katherine tried again and again to get him to respond, but he ignored her each and every time. She had half a mind to join him in the shower, but the utter lack of respect he was showing her held her back. When he started to lather his chest with soap, still pretending as if she wasn't there in the room with him, she finally gave a short scream of raw fury before tossing her hands up in the air and admitted a temporary defeat.

"Fine, be an ass, but you're going to regret this!" she spat before slamming out of his room just as violently as she'd once shattered his heart.

He leaned his head against the tiled walls of his shower, thinking about his brother and the pain it would cause Stefan if he ever learned that Damon had been fucking his wife for the last six months. At one time—when he'd began this mission—that thought would have brought him great pride and pleasure, but now…after getting to know his brother again and realizing Katherine for what she really was…well, it simply didn't feel as good as he thought it would.

He sighed and let the cascading water rinse the soap off his body—wishing it could rinse away his sins just as easily. "I already do," he said softly.

**D&E**********D&E***********D&E************D&E***************D&E**************D&E**

**Chappie 1 **

**Mystic Falls: The Gilbert House.**

"Hello…Jeremy?" Elena called out; dropping her huge, olive green, camouflaged duffel bag just inside the front door of her childhood home. Her eyes darted back and forth, instinctually looking for danger as she stepped into the house that she had once lived and died a bit too. Jeremy had promised to meet her at the airport, but hadn't shown up. It wasn't a huge shocker, but it still had her worried a bit. She sighed. It looked like he wasn't here either.

"Mom…? Dad…?" she called, walking towards the living room. It was empty, beer cans littered the floor and several over filled ashtrays were scattered around the room. She rolled her eyes in disgust at the filthy smell of stale cigarettes. Elena wasn't really all that surprised to find that neither Isobel nor John was waiting to greet their daughter at the door, but really—they could have at least picked the cans up off the floor and cleaned up a bit. But, then again, they'd rarely given her any attention growing up, why should they start now that she was returning from war?

She wandered through the house. "Is anyone here?"

When nothing but silence greeted her, Elena bit back the tears that threatened to well up in her eyes. A soldier doesn't let his or her emotions get the better of her. At least the Army had taught her how to do that. She no longer cried or broke down at the drop of a hat. It was a welcomed relief at this point because it actually hurt that no one was there to welcome her home. She walked into the kitchen. It was the same as she remembered it and it felt so weird being here in the same house that had brought so much pain, yet was still somehow, a comfort to her now. It made Elena think that maybe all those psychiatrists' were right when they said pain—no matter how bad—becomes familiar enough to become good if it went on long enough. Seriously, it was the only thing that made sense out of her feelings of relief right then as she was surrounded by her childhood-the good, the bad and the ugliness of it all.

Elena's eyes wandered around the house she hadn't seen in six years. So many memories... Some good—most bad though and she noticed, with a frown, that the same cheap yellowed laminated flooring covered the floor. She could graphically recall her mother's blood spilling across that floor after a particularly brutal beating by her father. She shook that memory off. Those kind of thoughts never did her any good. The paint was even worse now, she observed, having aged to the point where it looked grey now instead of white. It looked even more dingy than she remembered. The cupboards and counters were weathered and cracked and the double wide stainless steel sink was black in spots where mildew was growing. She shook her head; burying the painful reminders of her fucked up past deep inside a place inside herself that not even _she_ had the guts to venture into!

She spotted the broken handle on the sink and for some reason it made her smile. _'Yep, still the same!'_ It was sick how it was like she'd stepped into a time warp.

Elena froze when she saw the card and a cake sitting on the counter by the sink with her name on it. Next to them were several bags of red, white and blue balloons and, as she looked around, she noticed that even a banner that said 'Welcome Home' was there, lying across the broken down, yellow and white, veneered kitchen table.

She sighed. It figures—her family were great with the 'Big' plans, but sucked when it came to actually following through with them. "Well, welcome…home to me," she said on a sigh and headed upstairs to see if she even still had a room to call her own before she made other arraignments for her newest assignment overseas.

She opened the door to the bedroom that had been hers and her sister's growing up. It sent both shivers of pain and happiness through her when she realized that nothing had changed here too. It was like she'd just left it this morning and not all those years ago! Her old MFHS cheerleading outfit even hung on the back of her closet door. Her eyes landed on a picture of her twin sister taped to the mirror above the vanity that she and Katherine used to argue over and try to hog and share simultaneously when getting ready for school or a date. It all seemed like yesterday and a lifetime ago all at once and Elena closed her eyes and sucked in a sharp, painful breath at the thought of her lost twin.

She backed out of the room, almost stumbling over her own feet to get away from the memories contained in that twelve by fifteen foot space. Kat crying in her bed night after night after John had snuck in and then back out. Her heart squeezed painfully in her chest and Elena felt her stomach churn wildly at the memories.

"Oh God!" she gasped, and got out of that room as quick as she could, slamming the door behind her. She leaned against it, her breathing ragged as she called upon her training to get her through the emotional meltdown.

_Today is a blessing_, she reminded herself of the words her unit used to say before each and every mission. The words chanted through her head by instinct as if she were reciting the alphabet. _Don't take it for granted, no matter what has happened in the past—let it go, because today could be my last_. _I will be strong. If I die today, I'll go out a warrior! Proud of myself…Proud of my country and proud of my unit!_

If her last two tours of duty in Iraq had taught her anything, it had taught her that she was stronger than she'd ever believed possible. The things she had seen… Elena clenched her eyes shut, blocking out those painful memories too. She repeated her chant and as the familiar calming words washed over her, Elena finally relaxed. She hadn't backed down when a group of insurgents had nearly blown up half her team just south of Baghdad two years ago, and she wasn't backing down now! It was time to face her demons. Ready to face her day, just like she'd faced Al-Qaeda for the last four and a half years, Elena squared her shoulders and headed back down the stairs to find her family—or what was left of it.

**Fells Church:**

Katherine adjusted the see through robe across her shoulders, draping it just a bit more seductively as she stood in front of her full length mirror, studying her image. She eyed her outfit with a critical eye, trying to detect any flaw visible, but when she found none, she smiled in satisfaction. She looked fabulous. Her hair was full and hung to her waist in loose chocolate brown curls. Her make-up was perfect and the black and red corset, thigh high stockings and garter set was just the kind of outfit to drive Damon wild. Add to that, the black, stiletto peep toed heels along with the black lace robe was simply the whipped cream on the delicious dessert that was herself—one she planned on serving to him tonight.

She licked her ruby red lips. "This should get his interest again."

Katherine was more than desperate at this point. Something had to give and she was hoping it'd be Damon's willpower. In the last two months, he'd absolutely refused any and all advances from her. It was as if the previous six months he'd been home had never existed. All the passion they'd shared…

Her breathing accelerated. Katherine ached for him. For that body that just affected hers in all the right ways. She was going crazy without him and tonight she was determined to get him back in her bed. She loved Stefan. She did. He was so sweet and caring. Gentle and loving and she needed him to make her heart feel happy, but her body needed Damon. Only Damon could make her lose her mind when he was inside her. He made her crave his every touch. He made her head spin and her heart race until she thought she'd just pass out with the sheer force of her orgasm!

Stefan was at the Hospital tonight and would be there all night. It was a perfect time. Katherine gave herself one more admiring look before walking out the door with one thought in mind—seduce her brother in law. It was wrong. Morally, she knew it, but she couldn't help it. She was selfish. There was no choice anymore. She wanted both of them and what Katherine Pierce (formerly Gilbert) wanted—she got!

**Mystic Falls:**

Elena sat at the bar in The Grille going over and over what she'd found out. Thanks to the town gossip and her former best friend; Caroline, she'd learned that John was dead and had been for over a year. She should feel some kind of pain at that…he was her father after all, but the man had been such a monster it was hard to feel sympathy or even guilt for _not_ feeling any pain for his passing. Isobel was with some new guy named Ric. She'd learned that little tidbit when she'd bumped into them upon entering the pub. It had been disconcerting to see her Mom making out with another guy, but to be honest…the guy seemed to be a good guy. He was a teacher. Polite—stable and…well, nice.

_Too nice _for her mother that was for sure! Truthfully, she felt sorry for him. Isobel would only hurt him.

She took a healthy sip of her shot of bourbon and couldn't help but shake her head at the irony. Elena actually felt sorrier for a stranger, some random guy than she did for her own father's death! How sad was that?

She was nursing her third bourbon when someone slid onto the stool next to her. "Well, hello Katherine…or are you Elena?"

Elena turned her head. "Klaus," she muttered, "Great, just what I need to end this fucked up day!"

That seemed to give him pause, but quick as a cat, the grin was back and he leaned closer to her, invading her space in a way Elena could only take as threatening. "So…tell me, which one are you? Enquiring minds want to know." His voice lowered to a growl. "I know_ I_ do you little bitch!"

The violence behind his eyes sent chills up Elena's spine and it took all her military training to _not_ cringe away from him. "I'm Elena," she told him, controlling her body's instinctual reaction and showing him she was made of sterner stuff than he thought. "And if you don't step back, I'll have you flat on your back with my boot in your chest and my gun in your face in about two seconds flat!"

He searched her eyes for all of a second before he decided she wasn't kidding and moved himself out of her personal space. "Well, it appears the kitten has grown claws…"

Elena smirked. "No, the kitten has learned how to use an M-16," she deadpanned.

"Oh, I'd forgotten. You went into the Army, correct?"

"Six weeks at Fort Jackson. A year in Germany and almost five years in Iraq fighting Al-Qaeda," Elena stated, more than a bit proud of her military career. "So, yeah, I'd say I joined."

Klaus was intrigued. "You have honor…unlike your sister," he added with a slight growl.

Elena rolled her eyes. "I'm not discussing Kat with you," she told him, picking up her drink. "You scared the shit out of her so she left. End of story." She finished her bourbon and started to rise. "Well, it was great to see you and all that, but I really got to—"

"Stay," Klaus said, grabbing her arm.

Elena reacted out of instinct. In less than a second she's maneuvered herself out of his grasp and had him by the neck, pinned to the bar with one arm dragged up his back and bent at an angle that was agonizing at best. "Touch me again and I'll snap this arm so bad you'll never be able to use it again!" she snapped.

"And then where will your brother be?" another voice said from right behind her.

Elena glanced over her shoulder, keeping Klaus pinned. She sighed when she recognized his brother, Elijah. "Make a move on me and I'll ruin him. I promise," she said, tightening her grip on Klaus and yanking his arm up higher so that he gave a short, sharp cry of pain.

Elijah didn't ruffle a bit. Instead he sat down next to her and ignored the undignified position his brother was in, despite his brother's growls and orders to "kill the bitch!"

Elijah waved the bartender over and ordered a shot of Makers Mark, neat before turning back to Elena. "Please forgive my brother, he has no tact sometimes." He waited patiently for Elena to release Klaus, but when she didn't he sighed again. "I wish you no harm, Miss Gilbert," he said, accepting his drink and paying for it, tipping generously. "This is simply business," he said, picking up his drink and saluting her. "Now do you wish to hear the trouble your brother has gotten himself into or not?"

Elena's stomach dropped to her toes. "No…" she whispered, but the cocky smirk on his face told the tale. Jeremy had somehow gotten himself indebted to the Första brothers'.

_Fuck! Iraq suddenly looked tame in comparison!_

"What has he done?" she asked warily, finally letting go of Klaus.

Klaus had to be restrained from going after her, but Elena barely noticed or cared. Once again one of her siblings was being threatened by these thugs—this time she was determined to save them.

Elijah smirked. It was cunning and cruel. Elena recognized the evil there—just behind his dapper façade. "Just get to the bottom line. What has Jeremy done?"

"Why nothing, Elena…" Klaus chimed in and then chuckled darkly. "Well…at least nothing that either a hundred thousand dollars or Katherine's location wouldn't solve," he added calmly, as if he was discussing the weather and _not_ asking her to betray one sibling for another…

_**D&E*********D&E**********D&E**********D&E*********D&E************D&E*********D&E**_

_**Okay, so here's the first part. I know it wasn't my usual, but like I said, I'm out of my comfort zone. For those of you who expect smut from me in every chappie… *sighs* I know…I want to write it, I do, but I simply cannot facilitate that desire for either of us because this fic is going to require patience—truthfully, that's why I got Damon nekkid so fast cause I was hoping to snuff the littel beast that screams at me to "want-take-have!'" **_

_**Patience is *not* something I'm known for, so again—I'm out of my *comfort zone*. But, I'm willing to try this patience thing to bring on the URST-and then resolve it in a fabulous way! **__**Anyhow, click the blue button and let me know what you think…**_

_**Reviews are love and feed the musie people.**_


	2. Chapter 2

All's fair in Love and War

Rating will be an M

Thank you to all of you who've R&R'd. I really appreciate it. This is not my norm, so it means a lot. I also want to thank my very dear friend Carly for going over this one first for me…

You know, it's funny I had so many people go all *eeew* on me for the D/K pairing at the very beginning of this fic and I don't get that. *scratches head* It's still Ian and Nina up there. The chemistry between those two just lights up the screen whether she's playing Kat or Elena and seriously (am I the only one out there?) who wouldn't love to see Damon give Katherine one last hurrah, rock the bitch's world and then tell her to go *bleep* herself?

It's called closure. Anyhow, that's what I needed to give him. If it bothered you—I'm sorry for that, but I have to go with my musie and what she inspires me to write. I simply cannot please everyone all the time. Wish I could, but it's just impossible. This is a D&E fic though, so for all you Katherine haters out there, no, she will _not_ be getting her claws back into him. ;) Better? :)

Okay, now back with the fic…for story purposes I changed the location of Fells Church from Virginia to Connecticut. It makes more sense for Katherine to have left the state of Virginia and I wanted Damon to have his offices in New York, so bear with me…

**Chappie 2**

**Mystic Falls:**

Elena sat at the kitchen table going over the papers she'd received via fax yesterday. It had taken her almost a week to find Katherine. At first she'd run into nothing but brick walls. It was as if Katherine Gilbert had ceased to exist. But then Elena had contacted Gabe, a Marine Corp. Sergeant she'd met on her first tour of duty with a few years back. He was working out of Quantico now in military intelligence and Elena had called upon him for help. It was a major breach of ethics for Gabe to pull up a civilian's information, but since Elena didn't want anything that would endanger national security or too invasive—just an address and phone number, Gabe had agreed to help. Plus, Elena supposed he still felt he owed her since she'd saved not only his life, but the lives of his men five years ago when insurgents had hard wired a bomb to a little girl and sent her into the street towards the soldiers stationed there. Gabe had wanted to send a man in to pick her up and carry her to safety, but Elena had noticed the wire hanging out from underneath the little girl's filthy tunic and had given his unit the heads up. No one in either of their groups had died that day—the little girl hadn't been so lucky. That was just one of the memories that had Elena waking up in the middle of the night—night after night, in a cold sweat.

But, apparently Gabe was still grateful because within forty eight hours of her request she'd had the dossier she was now going over. Kat hadn't been kidding when she'd said that Katherine Gilbert would die as soon as she left this house. Six years ago she'd legally changed her last name to Pierce—taking their great-grandmother's maiden name as her own and dropping Gilbert altogether. So, it wasn't a surprise that Elena's previous inquiries into Katherine Gilbert had ended up a dead end. Katherine Gilbert truly_ had_ ceased to exist after Kat had run away and Katherine Pierce had been born.

Elena had to admit she'd been more than a bit shocked to find her sister had been a part time actress and was now married and to a very wealthy man. Stefan Salvatore was not only a Doctor, specializing in pediatric cancer, but he was apparently the co-owner of a pharmaceutical company too and a high ranking member of the Forbes' 500 list. Wow! She looked at the pictures of them included in the file she'd received. They looked happy enough and he was handsome in a brooding kind of way. A little too dreary for Elena's tastes, but compared to Klaus—he was a Prince. Katherine had definitely moved up in the world. Elena was happy for her. If anyone deserved getting away from their past, it was her sister. They lived in Fells Church, Connecticut, just outside New Haven. Elena was a bit surprised Kat hadn't left the east coast altogether, but she supposed having a husband worth millions and millions could buy her a bit of peace of mind. Not even the Första brother's had the kind of clout to go against the kind of money Katherine's husband had.

She was sure both Elijah and Klaus could have gotten this information had they dug hard enough, as a matter of fact Elena was pretty sure Elijah actually had, since he'd hinted at Katherine being the solution to Jeremy's problem in more ways than simply giving her up to Klaus. So, what was Elijah's real angle, because Elena knew he was the brains behind the operation. Klaus liked to give orders and bluster, but he was crazy. Elijah, on the other hand, was quiet and cunning. He didn't puff out his chest and rage about being the boss. He just watched. Truthfully, she'd prefer crazy any day of the week because egomaniacs like Klaus made rash and stupid mistakes. Cunning people like Elijah sat and waited like a rattlesnake. They barely moved, preferring to pounce on their victim when they had them where they wanted them.

That's what scared her the most…

Speaking of Elijah, Elena took a sip of her coffee, glancing again at the ledger he'd provided to her in regards to Jeremy's debts. It was bad and she set her cup down with a sigh. Jeremy had gotten himself in deep with them while she'd been gone and now his gambling debts exceeded over a hundred thousand dollars. One hundred and seventeen thousand to be exact! She rubbed her temples wearily. How had Jeremy let himself get that bad? She really didn't know, but he'd been so apologetic when she'd confronted him on it. Crying in her arms and telling her over and over he was sorry that Elena hadn't had the heart to yell at him anymore. It was obvious Jeremy hadn't done well in the last six years and she felt guilty for leaving him behind.

They'd all had a terrible home life growing up, yet she'd somehow escaped John's brutal notice—most of the time. Maybe it had been because she was technically the middle child, (Kat being older than her by three minutes) and (according to most psych reports) the middle kid tended to be the wallflower—letting the eldest take the lead and the youngest (or baby) have the spotlight. She'd never thought of herself that way, but whatever the reasons, the facts were that John Gilbert had pretty much ignored Elena for the most part and had instead focused his darkness on his eldest and his youngest. Kat had gotten John's attention in ways that still gave Elena nightmares, while Jeremy tended to get the brunt of his temper and fists. Well, unless Isobel was around to be his punching bag first, that is—but _she_ had a bad habit of disappearing for weeks on end, doing God knows what, leaving her children at the mercy of the man they called Father.

Elena shook off the morbid memories. It was in the past and she couldn't change it. It had made her a damned fine soldier because she'd seen Hell—lived it. Iraq had actually been a more acceptable version. She focused instead on her plan to get Jer out of the trouble he was in. She couldn't go to the police—Jeremy would go to prison right along with Klaus and Elijah. He was involved with illegal gambling and (after a search of his room) Elena had found a stash of pills, a baggie filled with white powder, a pipe and some needles, so she knew he was also on drugs too. It only added to her guilt and her determination to save him—even if it was from himself. She had decided the only plausible solution was to go to Kat and ask her to help. Surely her sister would share her good fortune with her brother, especially when it was a matter of life or death because Elena had no doubts that Elijah would kill Jeremy with no more remorse than he had for swatting a fly if he didn't get his money and soon.

She flipped open her laptop and within minutes she'd booked a flight into New Haven for the next day.

Jeremy came into the kitchen, "Hey," he said softly, still hanging his head a bit.

She smiled at him wearily. "Hey, yourself," she replied, closing her lap top after requesting her flight info be emailed to her. "How'd you sleep?" she asked as she got up to fix herself another cup of coffee.

"Like hell, since you flushed my shit yesterday," he muttered, looking in the fridge.

Elena sighed. "Jer, drugs isn't a solution. It just hides the problem. Masks it and makes it more bearable maybe, but the problem is still there when you come down."

He grabbed a beer and popped the top. Elena rolled her eyes as she added some creamer to her coffee. "It's eight in the morning. Don't you think that's a little early for a Budweiser?"

He smirked. "Breakfast of Champions," was his reply before he tipped the can back and guzzled down half of it in one gulp.

She didn't say any more. He'd thrown a fit when he'd found out she'd gotten rid of his pills and dope stash yesterday—saving Jeremy was going to take time and patience and at least beer was legal. "Fine, but no drugs, Jer." Her dark eyes drilled into his letting him see how serious she was. "I mean it. No more drugs and no more gambling. Got it?"

He nodded. "I got it, Elena."

"I can't do this for you if you're just going to throw yourself back into the fire again. I need you to promise me."

"I promise," he said and she could see the pain on his handsome face. "No drugs. No gambling." He looked at the beer in his hand and made a face before throwing it away. "And no drinking before noon," he added, "Will that make you happy?"

She gave him a hug. "It's a start," she told him, squeezing him. "I'm here now. I promise you we'll get through this—we always do, right?"

He looked so lost and hopeful that it nearly broke Elena's heart. "You shouldn't have to be bailing me out, 'Lena. It's not your mess. It's mine and Klaus said if I work for him for a while I can pay back my debt that way. Maybe I should just do that."

"No!" Elena almost snarled. "The last thing you need to do is get further involved with them, Jer. I said I had a plan and I do." She ran her hand through his hair, ruffling it. "Trust me, okay?"

His eyes welled up with tears and Elena spontaneously pulled him into her arms for another hug. "I missed you," Jeremy breathed.

She pecked his cheek before letting him go. "I missed you too…but I'm home now and we're gonna fix this, okay." He looked dubious, but Elena grabbed his face and made him look at her. "Okay?" she told him, making it more of a demand than a question.

He finally smiled and Elena could almost see the sweet kid he once was—before the drugs, before the gambling and before John and his brutality took its toll. "Okay," he agreed softly.

Elena nodded. "Good. Now how about we have a cup of coffee together instead of a beer? Huh?"

**Fells Church:**

Damon was sitting at the granite island in the center of the spacious kitchen, reading the morning paper and drinking his coffee when Kat breezed into the room. He glanced up just in time to witness her adjusting her blood red tank top for maximum cleavage exposure and barely resisted rolling his eyes. Apparently, she wasn't giving up. For the last two months she'd tried every trick in the book to get him back in the sack, even going so far as to brazenly wait for him in his room, on his bed, dressed in some kind of decadent corset and garter getup that (before) would have sent him off the rails with lust, but not anymore. She was his past and when he'd told her he was done. He'd meant it.

"So," she said getting a cup down and pouring herself a mug of fresh steaming coffee. "What are your plans for the day?" she asked, pouring a dollop of cream in her coffee and stirring.

Damon folded the paper and set it down before finishing the last swallow of his coffee. "Oh, I have a few in mind…" he said with a smirk, his eyes dipping down briefly to take note of her breasts that were practically on display for him.

She stepped closer and Damon could practically feel the lust rolling off her. "Oh really…like what?" she breathed, placing a slim hand on his chest and toying with a button flirtatiously.

He paused for a second longer before bursting her bubble. "Like nothing that you're hoping for," he told her coldly, stepping back and away from her.

"Damon, when are you going to stop punishing me?"

"What part of' it's over' is giving you the trouble, Katherine?"

"All of it!" she replied with a pout.

That face used to bring him to his knees. Now it was simply annoying. "Well, deal with it. You can't always have what you want, Kat. I learned that the hard way when you dumped me like a bad habit the second you learned my brother would be inheriting our father's fortune—not me!" He chuckled softly when she glared at him. "I bet it must have really pissed you off when I bought the company right out from underneath him, huh?"

"So that's what this is about? Revenge?" He shrugged, but it was answer enough. "You're a cold hearted bastard!" she spit out venomously.

"And you're a lying manipulative bitch!" he shot back. "I guess we really are two of a kind! Too bad poor Stefan is caught in the middle."

He started to leave but her next words stopped him. "I'll tell him," she challenged. Damon froze; his back to her. "I'll tell him about everything. How you seduced me, how we fucked right there on his bed…"

He slowly turned to face her and a ruthless smile quirked the side of his mouth upwards. "Really?" She folded her arms over her chest and nodded. He chuckled softly. "Go ahead," he taunted, "I own this house. My mother saw to that when she realized dear ol' dad would be a dick and try and keep me out of the will." Kat's face lost some of its color as he went on. "So, be my guest. Tell my brother all about us if you want. If anyone will be getting tossed out on their ass it'll be you." He checked his watch. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting to get to." And with those parting words he left Katherine standing there in the kitchen furious and with no outlet for her frustration.

She picked up her coffee cup and threw it against the wall just as Stefan entered the kitchen.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked, a concerned frown tugging at his brows as he took in her devastated appearance.

Kat took a deep breath before throwing herself into his arms. "It's Damon!" she wailed, clinging to him as he patted her back and made little sounds of sympathy. "He's a monster, Stefan! He's so mean to me. He hates me for falling in love with you and now that's he's living here, he takes every opportunity he can get to make me miserable!"

Stefan pulled back and tipped her chin up so that he could see her teary eyed face. "Hey, what happened? You guys seemed to be getting along fine. As a matter of fact, for a second there, I thought I might have something to worry about because you seemed to getting along almost _too_ good…" he admitted with a sigh. He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Has he done something? Made a pass or—?"

"No. Nothing like that," she interrupted with a shake of her head. "It's just…" She bit her lip, hesitating just long enough for Stefan to become concerned again.

"Tell me, baby. I'll talk to him if you want."

"I just want us to get past all the stuff from before. I never meant to hurt him. I didn't."

Stefan gave her a tender smile. "None of us did. We can't help who we fall in love with, Kat. When you came home with Damon…I never meant to fall in love with you, but it happened and he got hurt. I hate myself for that, but I wouldn't change it. These last four years with you have been the happiest in my life," he told her earnestly, hunkering down so that they were eye to eye.

Katherine almost looked away. He was so sweet. Too sweet and a wave of guilt washed over her. "You know what…it's nothing. Damon and I will work things out when it's time." She rose on her tip toes and gave him a tender kiss, which he deepened.

A few moments later they broke apart, panting a bit. "What time are you due at the hospital? Do we have time for a little early morning fun?" she suggested breathlessly, giving his tie a little tug.

He looked genuinely disappointed. "I wish I did," he told her with a sigh as he fixed his appearance. "But, I have a consultation this morning with the parents of an eight year old little girl diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia. The chemotherapy isn't working as well as I'd hoped and now I have to suggest other options with them before the cancer spreads any more than it already has."

He looked so sad and Katherine knew he empathized so much with each and every one of his patients that it brought on a fresh new wave of guilt. "I'm sorry. Here I am having a fit because Damon won't talk to me anymore and you're dealing with life and death situations. I must seem so petty and ridiculous."

He hugged her to him, placing a kiss on the crown of her head. "Never," he told her softly. "If it bothers you—then it concerns me. I don't ever want you to think your problems are petty just because you aren't dying from cancer, honey, okay?" he asked her, tilting her chin up again to place a kiss on the tip of her nose. "I love you," he said with a small smile.

She gave him an answering one. "I love you, too," she whispered back and it was the truth. She did love him, but that brief kiss reminded her of the ache Damon had left her with this morning too. An itch that she desperately needed scratched and Katherine wasn't one to let a little guilt hold her back from getting what she wanted. She'd come too far to let her conscience get in the way.

He disentangled himself from their embrace. "I'm sorry, babe, but I really have to go," he said. "I promise I'll talk to Damon when I get home tonight, alright?"

She was playing a dangerous game. If Damon came clean—then everything was ruined, but Katherine was willing to roll the dice anyhow because she had a feeling that the last thing Damon wanted was to hurt Stefan anymore—despite how angry he'd once been at his little brother. As a matter of fact, she was counting on it.

"Okay. Thank you, maybe you can get him to forgive and forget."

"I'll try, but I can't promise you anything. You know how stubborn he can be," Stefan said before he gave her one last kiss and then was out the door, blithely unaware that he was leaving his wife behind to plot and plan her next move on how to seduce his brother back into her bed.

**New Haven Connecticut: **

After retrieving her luggage and renting a car, Elena was finally on her way to Fells Church and Katherine. She had to admit her stomach was doing flip flops. She felt sick with anxiety because the last time she'd seen her sister, it hadn't been pretty. It was almost seven years ago, but it still felt like yesterday…

****Flashback****

Elena rushed into the room she shared with her sister. "Katherine, what the hell's going on?" she cried upon seeing her sister walking across the room with an arm full of clothes and tossing them into a suitcase. "Dad's downstairs beaten to a pulp and that creep Klaus says you're leaving with him." Katherine ignored her for a moment and continued to throw some more clothes in the ratty suitcase she called luggage. "Please tell me you're not seriously going anywhere with that guy?" Elena pleaded, taking hold of her twin's arm. "He's a thug and even if they weren't convicted, everyone knows that he and his brother killed their own father!"

Kat shrugged her off. "So what? That's actually something I can relate to!"

Elena gasped. "Kat, you can't mean that. I mean—I know he—"

"Oh but I totally_ do_ mean that!" Katherine interrupted. "He's a monster and I'm getting the hell out of this house. 'Lena and if you were smart, you'd do the same," she told her coldly.

"But what about Mom and Jeremy?"

Katherine had snorted. "Isobel can look after herself—trust me and as far as Jeremy…well…" she shrugged, "I'm sorry, but I have to look out for myself now and Klaus is my way out of this hell-hole!"

Elena had tried to talk her out of it, but Katherine had rounded on her like a viper. "Don't give me those tearful eyes Elena! You aren't the one who has to suffer that disgusting pig climbing into your bed every night—maybe if you'd taken some of the brunt of his perversions I wouldn't be so fucked up in the head! Have you ever thought of that?" Elena shook her head, her hand over her mouth to stifle the sobs that wanted to burst forth. Katherine glared at her. "No, you never did, did you? You let me and Jeremy take it all, while you skated by with nothing more than a black-eye or bruise here and there. Well, I wasn't so lucky, so don't you dare sit there and try and make me feel guilty for getting as far away from this nightmare as I can by any means possible!"

She'd been shaking with rage and Elena had started to cry. "I'm sorry, Kat. So-so sorry."

"Yeah, well that and a dollar will get you a cup of coffee. I don't want your apologies, Elena. I just want you to leave me alone so I can forget I ever grew up in this house. That I was ever a part of this fucked up family!" Katherine picked up her suitcase and headed for the door. "Are we clear? As of today…Katherine Gilbert is dead, so don't ever try and find me because after today this family no longer exists for me."

And with that she was gone…

****End Flashback****

Right before she'd joined the Army, Elena had heard that Katherine had ripped Klaus off for like fifty thousand dollars and then she'd just disappeared. No one had seen hide nor hair of her in Mystic falls since. In her opinion Klaus deserved that and then some, but she also knew it had sent him on some kind of rampage and now all he wanted was to get his hands on (his Katarina) one more time. If Elena thought for one second that Klaus would follow her, she'd have never led him to her. Katherine deserved a new life, but Klaus_ wasn't_ her worry. Elijah was. She wished again that she knew exactly what he wanted out of this whole thing—besides the money, of course, but it wasn't just about money. Elena's gut was telling her there was something more to this and if Iraq had taught her anything—it was always, no matter what—listen to your instincts!

**Several hours later:**

Elena had gotten herself a room at a nice little bed and breakfast, unpacked and showered before working up the courage to go to the Salvatore estate. She pulled up to the gates barring the driveway to the estate, she rolled down her window to give the guard her name, but was surprised when the man tipped his hat at her commented on her new car and buzzed her right through. It took her a second, but suddenly it dawned on her that the man had thought she was Katherine. Elena almost went back to correct him, but decided against it. She was already here and she figured _not_ giving Kat any warning was better than possibly having her sister bar her entrance at the gate.

She parked her rented Toyota Rav-4 in the large circular driveway right behind a baby blue classic Camaro and made her way up the three long steps to the entry way. It was huge and beautiful, but a bit ostentatious with its old world spires. Elena wiped her sweaty palms on the front of her jeans as she willed her racing heart to settle down. She was nervous as hell, but over the last several years, she'd faced down men with machine guns pointed at her—one massive house was not going to send her running with her tail tucked between her legs!

She lifted the large brass knocker shaped like a lion's head and rapped it against the door a few times. 'Perfect,' she thought. 'I'm entering the Lion's den apparently.'

The door was flung open and for a moment Elena was speechless as she stared up at the most physically perfect man she'd ever laid eyes on. He was literally sex on legs, standing several inches taller than herself, with dark hair that looked like he'd ran his hands through it a few times. His full lips just begged to be kissed and his eyes…Elena felt her heart rate accelerate. His eyes were so beautiful, she simply couldn't put a simple sentence together that would adequately describe their beauty.

She must have stood there with her mouth agape for several seconds before Damon broke the spell. His eyes raked over her taking in the simple outfit of skinny jeans and black wool button down pea coat. "What happened, Kat? Decide to slum it today and forgot your keys in one of your _numerous _designer handbags?"

The rudeness in his tone snapped her right back to reality. "I'm sorry. Huh?"

Damon stepped closer. "Wait a second…you're not…" He paused, really looking at her. Suddenly his eyes widened and his hand shot out to grab her wrist and tug her into the house. "Who the fuck are you?" he demanded, almost shaking her.

Elena reacted on pure adrenaline and instinct. She twisted her wrist out of his grasp and grabbed hold of his other arm and propelled him forward. Very quickly, and much to his shock, Damon found himself pinned face first against the wall of his entryway with his arm yanked up his back so hard he thought it might just snap off!

The entire scene was broken up when a young woman dressed in a maid's uniform rushed into the hall. "Mr. Salvatore! Are you okay? Should I call the police?" She froze when she saw Elena. "Oh, Mrs. Katherine..I did not realize…" The tiny woman wrung her hands at a loss at seeing her Mistress manhandling the Master of the house.

Damon started to laugh. "Lupe, it's fine. I'm fine…" He peered at Elena over his shoulder, "or I wil be once you let me go."

Elena flushed and immediately let him go. "Oh, sorry. Instinct," she said by way of excuse.

Damon rolled his shoulder and shook out his hand. "Remind me to never seriously piss you off."

"I'm sorry," Elena said again, not at all happy to have gotten off on such a wrong foot with someone who was obviously a Salvatore! He must be the brother that was mentioned in the report—a picture would have helped. At least then maybe she wouldn't have stared at him like a gawking groupie.

He tilted his head to the side. "Okay, you look like her, sound like her, but you sure as hell don't act like her, so…let me guess…you're the twin," he said with a slight raise and wriggle of his brows and a smirk.

Elena couldn't help the smile that came in reply. Oh he was a bad boy—this one. She held out her hand. "Elena Gilbert… and you are…?"

Damon took her hand in both of his and brought it to his lips. "Forever your servant, sweetheart," he quipped, placing a kiss on the back of her hand.

Elena rolled her eyes, even as her cheeks heated up from the brief contact of his lips on her skin. "Really?" she scoffed, "Does that line actually work for you?"

He shrugged. "Nah, but usually women are so blinded by my _irresistible_ good looks that I don't have to do any talking."

She laughed softly. "I bet."

He smirked again. "I'm sorry. I still haven't introduced myself have I?" His intense blue eyes met Elena's dark ones as he took her hand again. "I'm Damon." He did this thing with his eyes that made Elena's knees melt a bit. "And since _your_ sister is married to _my_ brother…_.well_…that must make us family too." He wriggled his brows and did that eye thing again and Elena knew right then and there that he was dangerous with a capital 'D'!

Suddenly a voice came from the stairway. "What the hell is going on here?"

Elena and Damon both glanced up simultaneously. With the reunion upon her, Elena suddenly found herself tongue tied so Damon managed to speak first. "You know, Katherine, you _really_ should have invited your sister home earlier," he chided teasingly, but there was an underlying current there that Elena caught and it wasn't friendly. "She seems like _marvelous_ fun."

He was doing that eye thing again, but this time it was snarky and Elena didn't like the feeling of tension that was suddenly suffocating the room. She stepped around Damon and looked up at her sister, poised on the bottom of the steps, staring at her like she'd seen a ghost. Elena tried to smile, but failed. Kat did_ not_ look happy to see her.

"Um…hi, Katherine. I know I shouldn't have just showed up like this but I really needed to see you."

You could have heard a pin drop in that second as the sisters came face to face for the first time in over six years…

**D&E*********D&E************D&E***********D&E*********D&E*********D&E**********D&E**

**Okay guys, so there's part two. Click the blue button and let mew know what you think. Reviews are love and feed the musie...**


	3. Chapter 3

**All's fair in Love and War**

_Disclaimer: I own none of the characters...sadly. *sighs* Though I wish to God I could *own* Damon-even for one night! lol!_

_A/N: Thank you to all of you who've reviewed and supported this fic and all my fics...I know that I've been horrible on replying, but I'm working on like four fics right now and I'm trying to get chappies out...I promise to reply individually at some time, but I figured you'd rather have another chapter instead... (let me know if I'm wrong-kay?)_

_Hugs,_

_Jen_

_Okay...where we left off: Damon is flirting with Elena when Kat comes down stairs. She's furious and you could have heard a pin drop as the sisters' came face to face for the first time in six years._

**Chappie 3**

What can a person do when confronted with a past they never wanted to face again? That was the one thought going through Katherine's head as she took a moment to compose herself before taking the last couple steps that brought her up close and personal with the sister she'd thought of many times, but never wanted to see again.

Her voice was as frigid as her expression and Damon couldn't help but note the frosty reception Elena was getting. Interesting. He tucked that away to be used for later.

"Hello, Elena, what brings you here?" Katherine asked, tilting her head and studying her twin as if she were a bug she'd stepped on or equally as bad. "I thought I was clear the last time I saw you…what happened?"

Elena winced. It was like Katherine didn't care at all and her voice was as foreign and cold as her appearance. Katherine's long brown hair now hung down her back in perfect ringlets, not at all like Elena remembered. Apparently along with a new name, Katherine had adopted a new look too. Their hair had never been the same—Kat's had always been a bit more wild, while Elena's had been a bit more flat, but the stylishly coiled curls' that Kat was sporting were as fake as the perfectly straight hair Elena now wore. Only difference was that she used a flat iron and Kat used a curling iron. Funny—they still wanted to change what they'd been born with.

Elena's eyes slipped to Damon who was watching the exchange with avid and unabashed curiosity. "Can we talk in private?" she asked her twin, not at all wanting him to hear Jeremy's woes.

Damon snorted. "Now where would the fun in that be?"

Katherine shot him a withering glance. "Don't you have somewhere else to be, Damon?" she asked. The last thing she wanted was for Damon to be witness to any dirty laundry Elena was about to air about her family.

He shook his head. "Nope, not at all."

Katherine roled her eyes. "Come with me," she snapped to Elena and turned on her heel and headed back up the stairs to her room.

Damon frowned. He grabbed Elena's hand-something was up here and he wanted the 411. "Promise to say goodbye before she gives you the bum-rush? I'd hate to see you go before I got to know you," he said, teasing like, but serious too.

Elena blushed again. He really was far too charming for his, or more importantly,_ her_ own good, "Okay," she found herself agreeing despite her inner warnings that he was dangerous to not only to her central nervous system, but most likely her heart and general well being also!

Damon smiled. "Until then," he said silkily and gave her hand another soft kiss.

"Any day now, Elena!" Katherine snapped from the top of the stairs.

Damon raised his eyes. "Don't be a bitch, Kat. She's your sister…show her some…" he smirked, "hospitality. I know I will."

Katherine's eyes narrowed, but Elena jumped in as always the peace maker. "I'm sorry, Katherine." She turned to Damon. "It was nice to meet you, Damon," she flushed again, but controlled her racing pulse this time and turned to follow her sister up the stairs, leaving Damon standing there at the bottom to watch them both.

As soon as they'd left his sight, he exhaled loud and long. He was hard and aching and he hadn't felt like that in a long-long time. Elena. Even her name sounded sexy. He said it out loud, letting each syllable roll off his tongue. "E-le-na," he purred, knowing he couldn't wait to have her in his bed.

Upstairs:

Katherine rounded on her twin as soon as she'd shut the door behind them. "What the hell are you doing here?" she hissed.

Elena took a step back at the venom in her sister's voice. "I—Kat I need your help. It's Jeremy, he's—"

"I thought I made it pretty clear when I escaped the hell-hole we called a home that I was leaving you and all that drama behind me, 'Lena," Kat interrupted. "That includes Jeremy too."

"But Katherine…"

Kat slashed her hand, cutting Elena off. "Look, if he's in jail or in trouble. That has nothing to do with me and I really want you to leave me out of it."

Elena was stunned. "But he's your brother."

"Yeah and you're my sister, but where were either of you when I was being violated night after night?"

Elena felt her stomach churn. "I've told you how sorry I am, Kat…"

Katherine squared her shoulders. "I don't want to talk about it. It never happened." She grabbed Elena by the arm, her nails digging in, leaving crescent shaped welts as she snarled, "Do you hear me? It-never-fucking-happened!"

Elena shook her off. "It's not something I bring up in conversation. Trust me!" she snapped.

"Good. Then you can leave now," Kat said, seemingly assured that the situation was over as she started for the door.

"No," Elena said, digging her heels in. Jeremy needed Katherine's help and Elena wasn't leaving here without her sister's guarantee. Even if that meant pissing the Queen B off! Elena wasn't afraid of Kat and her tantrums anymore. "Jer needs your help and you're _going_ to help him," she said softly.

Katherine turned to her and crossed her arms. Her brow shot up and she raked her gaze over Elena, giving her the look that used to have the younger twin cringing, only this time Elena was meeting her gaze dead on. Kat's lips quirked as she realized her sister had grown a spine after all. "And what makes you think that?" she asked, her voice still hard, but with a playful edge to it now. "I told you once when I left that house that Katherine Gilbert was dead. What makes you think I'll change my mind m=now?"

Elena took a deep breath, refusing to back down. "Because if you don't, I'll tell Klaus and Elijah where you are," she said softly, yet with quiet determination.

Katherine's faced went white and for the first time Elena saw real fear. "Klaus?" She glanced wildly around the room as if he was going to pop out from behind a door or something. "Elena, you didn't tell him where I am, did you?" she exclaimed.

Elena was too stunned at the absolute terror rolling off Kat in palpable waves to answer so Katherine rushed forward, grabbed Elena by the shoulders. "Elena!" she screeched, shaking her. "Listen to me! Tell me you did not tell Klaus where I am! Tell me!" she nearly shouted.

Elena shoved Katherine off her. "No. I—no, Kat, I didn't tell him anything,' she said, rubbing her arms. Funny—Damon or Klaus or any man could put a hand on her and Elena reacted with deadly violence, but her sister manhandled her and she felt like a kid all over again. Elena supposed some habits were just hard to break and Katherine bullying her was one of those habits—but this time Elena was determined to get her say in too.

Katherine immediately relaxed. "Good. That's good," she said, running a visibly shaking hand through her curls as she plopped down on the edge of her bed.

Elena could see how frazzled her sister was. "I swear Kat. I didn't tell him anything and he doesn't know I'm even here."

Katherine suddenly raised tear filled brown eyes to her sister. "Why are you here, Elena? Was my happiness too much for you to bear so you had to come and ruin it?"

Elena was shocked and hurt her sister could think such a thing. "No," she said, "honestly, I'm happy for you. You have a beautiful home, a handsome, successful husband…" Elena's thoughts suddenly went to Damon, the brother-in law and her words died a hasty death as she shivered, remembering the burning intensity of those magnificent eyes.

Katherine noticed the look and her eyes narrowed. "He's sexy isn't he?"

Elena glanced up. "Who?" she asked quickly—too quickly, she realized when Katherine merely smiled coldly.

"Don't play stupid, Elena. It doesn't become you." Katherine wagged a finger at her. "You know very well who I mean…" she chided. "Damon. He's utterly drool-worthy, isn't he?"

Elena felt all kinds of awkward, but she nodded her head slightly. "Um…well…yes, I guess."

Kat snorted. "You guess?" She rolled her eyes. "Please, you were practically creaming your panties downstairs earlier."

Elena opened her mouth to refute that, but Katherine's next words stunned her into silence. "Well, forget about him. He's mine. We're lovers, but lately we've been fighting." She waved a hand, "Flirting with you today was his way of teaching me a lesson so don't take anything he might have said to heart. Damon's a flirt, but it's me he loves," she said that with such conviction, Elena felt embarrassed for her earlier thoughts about the handsome blue eyed Salvatore brother.

"But I thought you were married to the other brother," was all Elena could think to say.

Kat shrugged. "I am." Seeing Elena's horrified look, she softened her approach and let her face crumple and she grabbed Elena's hands in hers. "Oh, Elena, it's so confusing," she said laying the despair on thick. "I love Stefan. I do, but Damon…" Her breathing quickened and her hands tightened around Elena's. "He's so…sexy and hot. I just can't stay away from him. I need him. I don't know what to do."

Elena did not understand that and shook her head. "Then you should tell your husband and leave him."

Katherine's eyes welled up with tears. "But then he'd divorce me and I'd be penniless again and then where would I be?" She scoffed, "Back in Mystic Falls?" Her face hardened. "I'd rather drive a stake through my heart first!"

Elena thought her sister was being melodramatic and utterly selfish, but what else was new? "What about Damon?" Elena asked, even though the thought of that charming, effervescent man with Kat made her ill, she had to ask the question plaguing her. "Wouldn't he take care of you?"

Kat snorted. "Hardly. He's furious with me because I hurt him and now he won't even sleep with me anymore!"

That was far more information than Elena had wanted, but she kept quiet. "Then you need to forget about Damon, Kat and stay with your husband."

"What do you know?" Katherine growled in response. Then as if suddenly remembering Elena was intruding into _her _home, she rose to her feet and gave Elena a haughty glare. "And just what are you doing here again? You never did tell me. All you said was it was about Jeremy and you need my help."

Elena quietly explained Jeremy's situation to her sister. Explaining how Elijah had ledgers and proof of Jeremy's gambling and drug use. "If he doesn't come up with the money in a month, they'll kill him Kat," she finished softly, holding her breath as she hoped her sister would do the right thing. "They'll kill Jeremy."

Katherine paced the room for a moment and Elena wasn't sure she liked the way the wheels seemed to be turning in her sister's head. Finally after a few minutes, Katherine stopped and faced Elena. "I'll do it. I'll bail Jeremy out…" Elena gasped with joy and started to get up to hug her sister, but Kat's next words made her freeze in her spot. "On one condition."

Elena felt her stomach drop to her toes. She definitely did _not_ like the sound of that. "What's the condition?" she asked warily.

Katherine took a step closer, until she and Elena were face to face, eye to eye. "On the condition that you seduce my husband…"

Elena's jaw dropped and she was sure—absolutely positive she'd heard that wrong. "I'm sorry. What? Did you just ask me to seduce your husband?"

Katherine nodded. "Yep, you heard me right," she deadpanned. "You seduce Stefan and that'll leave me free to remind Damon why we're so good together. Then if Stefan does find out about Damon and I—he's not so innocent either and it'll be a fifty-fifty split if he divorces me."

Elena's knees buckled and she sat on the bed with a long drawn out sigh. Was her sister insane? "Katherine, I can't do that. It's not only immoral, but it's just…well, it's just wrong," she said, shaking her head.

But Katherine had the idea stuck in her head now, and once she got hold of something she could be like a bulldog with a bone. She raised her chin as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Do you want the hundred and seventeen thousand dollars for Jeremy or not?"

Elena officially knew what it felt like to be stuck between a rock and a hard pace now. This was all kinds of wrong, but it was her brother's life at stake here. She nodded slowly. "You know I do, Kat."

"Then you'll do me this tiny favor and in return I'll give you the money to save Jeremy." She smiled as if what she was suggesting wasn't all kinds of repugnant and wrong. "In the end, all of us will be happy. You'll see." She made it sound so simple, but it was anything but.

Elena stared at Katherine as if seeing her for the first time. In what world did Kat live in that she could possibly think asking Elena to sleep with her husband was a tiny favor? It was mind boggling.

In the end Elena agreed to the bargain, despite knowing deep in her gut she'd just made a deal with the devil, one she had a feeling was going to end very badly…

**Salvatore Boarding House: downstairs.**

Damon was in the parlor, a glass of bourbon in hand and going over the last years' financial reports for Salvatore Pharmaceuticals when Stefan came home. He glanced up when his brother entered the room. "Well, you're home early. Is that good news or bad?"

Stefan shook his head. "I had to tell the parents of a little girl today that their best chance at saving their daughter was a bone marrow transplant." He walked to the liquor cabinet, and poured himself a full glass of scotch. "What do you think?"

Damon nodded. "So…not good news then," he said, trying to be sympathetic, but the whole brooding hero thing was more his brother's gig and while he felt bad for the family of that child, it didn't affect him like it did Stefan. That empathy for people, amongst other things, was one of the main reasons Damon wasn't angry at his baby bro anymore. He realized now that Stefan had never intended to hurt him. If anything he was as much Katherine's victim as Damon had been. It added a whole new level to Damon's guilt that he hadn't realized it sooner. Like _before_ he'd done the dirty with his brother's wife over and over again.

He sighed, pushing those thoughts away. It was in the past and he was never-ever going there again. "Look, Stefan…not to add to your burden, but I've been going over these figures and I can't believe you let this company get so out of control. The board was making decisions without even consulting you. Do you know that six months ago Ted Harris gave himself a hundred thousand dollar a year raise and signed off on it himself?"

Stefan's shoulders sagged. "You know I never wanted to run that company Damon. It should have gone to you after dad died."

Damon rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well we all know how Guiseppe felt about me, so that wasn't gonna happen."

"Had you stuck around I would have given it to you!" Stefan argued.

"Oh no, baby bro…I don't do charity," he quipped. "I bought half that company fair and square and now I'm in charge. I'll handle all the day to day crap and you'll still get a nice fat check every month, but all I ask is that when I need your vote, you vote my way."

Stefan shrugged. The complexities of his father's empire had never interested him. "Sure. Of course, whatever you say. I trust you, Damon."

And just-like-that the knife twisted a little deeper in Damon's gut as another wave of guilt assailed him. He shot back his drink and poured another. He was almost angry at Stefan for being such a damned martyr! "So, if I told you I wanted to see the whole thing off and take the money and run. You'd be cool with that?" Damon didn't know why he was pushing his brother right then, but he simply couldn't help it—sometimes Stefan was just too nice, calm and collected.

Stefan frowned. "Why would you want to do that?" he asked.

Damon wanted to throw something. "I don't know, maybe just to say fuck it and live dangerously for once! Haven't you ever done something that wasn't expected of you, Stef?"

Stefan seemed to wilt right before his eyes. "Yes. I married the woman you were in love with Damon and for that I'm sorry."

Damon froze and his jaw tightened. "Let's not do this right now," he growled, pouring himself another full glass of bourbon.

"No," Stefan shot back. "I have to say this. I'm sorry, Damon. I am and I hope we can get past all this tension and find the bond we used to have when we were younger." His green eyes were sad and hopeful at the same time and Damon finally looked away, unable to face him. "I miss my brother," Stefan added softly. "And I know you're angry with Katherine too, but it's not her fault either, Damon. Can't you just let it go and move on?"

Now_ that_ got Damon's attention and he snorted with laughter. "Stefan, not to burst your bubble here, but I have moved on. I don't love Katherine anymore. _Not-at-all._ Trust me," he added for emphasis.

"Then why was she crying this morning in the kitchen?"

Damon muttered a soft curse under his breath. He was stunned and pissed as all get out that Katherine would actually have the gall to use his brother to soften him up when her only agenda was to get him back in her bed! The audacity was unbelievable! What kind of twisted bitch was she? "Stefan, we had a disagreement, no biggie," he said, trying to get out of this very awkward conversation as quick as possible.

"Well, it was a big deal to her," Stefan said, his brows furrowing in that way that made Damon want to roll his eyes. "You guys were hitting it off before. What changed?"

_That_ was a topic Damon wanted to avoid like the plague. "Oh give me a break," he scoffed, "Katherine's a big girl, trust me—she can take care of herself. We had an argument—get over it!"

"Do you always have to be such a dick?" Stefan griped. "Would it kill you just to be a little nicer to her?"

"Hello? Do you know me? My middle name is dick!" he joked, falling back on his sarcasm because he couldn't believe he was actually having this conversation! If only Saint Stefan knew what it was that he was actually asking of him…Damon could wring Kat's neck for this! "Oh, by the way," Damon said, taking the opportunity to change the subject. "Katherine's sister, _Elena_ is here." Damon liked the way her name sounded on his tongue—he imagined he'd like the way she tasted on his tongue too, but that was for another time.

"What?" Stefan looked as stunned as Damon had been earlier.

"Yep," he said, waving a hand towards the stairs. "Showed up on our doorstep about an hour ago and now they're up there…catching up I'd guess, except Katherine didn't look too happy to see her."

Stefan ran a hand through his hair. "She doesn't like to talk about her past or her family."

"Don't I know it," Damon agreed with a scowl. He remembered how evasive she'd always been whenever he'd asked her about her family or anything regarding her childhood. It was like she'd just shut down.

Stefan began to pace. "Was she okay? I mean, what does her sister want?"

"I wasn't exactly invited to the reunion, brother. They pretty much glared at each other before Katherine demanded Elena follow her upstairs."

"Maybe I should go up there and see if she's alright?"

Damon rolled his eyes. "Believe me, both those girls can handles themselves. Hell, little Elena had me pinned up against the wall before I even got her name and almost broke my damned arm too!"

Stefan made a face. "Do I even want to know why that happened?"

"Believe me. I got the worst of it. That girl has moves I've never seen before."

Stefan held up a hand. "And…you can stop right there."

Damon chuckled wickedly. "I didn't get quite that far, though I wouldn't mind…"

"Enough!" the younger Salvatore groaned.

They were quiet for a moment before Stefan again broached the Katherine subject. "So listen, about Katherine…" This time it was Damon who groaned, but Stefan pressed forward. "Can't you try and get along? I l know it's hard, but can't you at least try?"

Stefan was giving him those big puppy dog eyes and that combined with Damon's nagging guilt made him cave.

He heaved a long drawn out sigh. "Fine, if it makes you feel better, I'll talk to Kat tonight and clear it up, okay?"

.

"Thanks, Damon. That'd really help," Stefan said, placing his hand on Damon's shoulder and giving it a squeeze.

"Think nothing of it, bro—what can I say? I'm a giver," he muttered sarcastically.

Stefan simply nodded. "Well, I'm gonna go upstairs—ya know just to make sure—"

"There's no hair pulling or cat fighting?" Damon supplied.

"No, just to be there in case Kat needs me," he said and left the room.

Damon felt that guilty knife sink even deeper. Dammit! This was killing him and he was furious at the way Katherine was pulling the strings—manipulating not only his brother, but through Stefan, she was still managing to manipulate him too. That seriously pissed him off and you could bet your life he'd be talking to her tonight. He wanted it clear as crystal that if she _ever_ tried a stunt like this again, he'd bite the bullet and tell Stefan every sordid little detail of their affair and let the chips fall where they may. Maybe it would even be for the best. He was sick of Kat's games. It had been so easy when he'd first came home and hopped back into bed with the little viper—he'd intended to have Stefan catch him in bed with his oh-so-loving little wife, therefore wrecking both their little worlds just like they'd done to him. But things had changed so drastically and now it was a big fucking mess. He wanted to protect Stefan instead of ruin him and that gave Kat the upper hand—except he wasn't the same sap that had fallen for her six years ago. He was more than up for anything she threw his way. And then there was Elena. Now_ she_ was interesting. He was definitely attracted and not only that, Damon imagined she could hold a wealth of information that might be useful in making Kat back down. Damon smiled, warming to that plan. He poured himself another drink as he imagined several desirable ways to get information from her. He hardened at the thought. It was a win-win. Now he had _two_ reasons to get up close and personal with Katherine's sexy little twin. She'd be a handful, but he couldn't say he wasn't looking forward to the challenge.

He grabbed his phone and dialed. "Hey Mason, yeah it's me. Listen I have a favor—well, not really a favor because I'm more than willing to pay your full price." He paused as Mason asked what it was. "I need a full background report on one Elena Gilbert…"

Mason Lockwood was the best private investigator Damon knew. He was quick, efficient and at times as ruthless as he was. It was one of the things that made them friends as well as sometimes business partners. He could almost feel Mason's smirk over the phone as he asked if this was for business or personal reasons.

Damon chuckled. "Personal. And I need it like yesterday."

Mason paused. "Give me a day a couple days and I'll be able to tell you if Ms. Gilbert wears panties or boy shorts to bed…"

Damon rolled his eyes. "I'm wiring you the money now," he said and disconnected the call.

He paused and for a moment felt a twinge of apprehension. What he was doing was a major intrusion into her life, but then again, she _had_ just shown up here out of the blue. The entire Salvatore Empire was worth almost a billion dollars. He needed to understand her motives before he could decide whether she was friend or foe. And with that thought, Damon pushed aside his qualms and proceeded to wire Mason his exorbitant fee.

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**Later that night:**

Damon entered the dining room at seven sharp. Stefan had been insistent they all eat dinner together tonight and while Damon had gnashed his teeth at the thought of sitting down and trying to play nice-nice with Kat over veal parmesan, he remembered the deal he'd struck with his brother earlier and grudgingly agreed to the arraignment. When he noticed Elena sitting at the table, his mood brightened instantly. His eyes roamed her flawless face. He loved her utterly straight hair. It looked so silky, his fingers itched to run through those locks and see if they were actually as soft as they appeared.

"Well, hello, Elena…" He flashed his signature half smile, "now this _is_ a pleasant surprise. I didn't realize you'd be staying."

Elena's cheeks flushed a lovely shade of rose as she answered. "Yeah, well Katherine and I have so much to catch up on…"

"I invited Elena to stay for a bit," Katherine cut in, shooting Damon a dirty look, which he ignored.

He took his seat opposite Elena. "Perfect. That gives us plenty of time to get to know each other better…"

The double entendre was blatantly obvious as was Katherine's fury to everyone, _but_ Stefan as he turned to Elena. "So, Kat told me you were in the Army—stationed in Iraq?"

Elena nodded and Damon's brows shot up to his forehead and he chuckled. "The Army, huh? Well that explains you nearly breaking my arm today!" He wagged his brows at her. "At least now I know I can keep my man-card. Being trained in hand to hand combat kind of gave you the advantage today, wouldn't you say?"

Elena's cheeks burned, but she didn't want to get into why she'd man-handled him. "I really am sorry about that," she said softly.

He shrugged. "Actually, I thought it was kind of hot. I don't meet many women who can literally kick my ass," he teased.

Stefan chuckled. "Though I'm sure a few have tried."

Damon winked. "Oh no, brother, that's for me to know and you to…dot…dot…dot."

The conversation flowed pretty easily after that, but as the night wore on, Damon's outrageous flirting became more and more brazen and Elena could practically see the steam shooting out of her sister's ears. She did her best to shut it down because the last thing she needed was to be in the middle, yet…here she was. Entangled in a web not of her own making. The worst part was, the more she got to know Stefan, the more she liked and respected him. He was a kind and gentle person. She admired the work he did and how dedicated he was to his patients. The idea of manipulating him—sleeping with him because Kat had an itch for Damon was making her physically ill.

When she was finally able to excuse herself, she headed for the nearest bathroom. She wanted to wretch. She'd risked life and limb for her country and honor meant something to her—this was just…wrong. Elena stared at her face in the mirror as she splashed cold water on her face, hoping it'd keep the nausea at bay. "What am I doing?" she asked her image quietly. This plan went against the very fiber of her being. But then she thought of Jeremy. Thought of what Elijah and Klaus would do to him if she didn't get the money for his debts and she sucked in a sharp breath and squared her shoulders. Maybe she could find another way out of this mess. Maybe Stefan wouldn't even fall for the plan. That wouldn't be her fault, now would it? She sighed and shut off the water before gently drying her face and hands.

She just had to use her head. Katherine was manipulating her and she felt helpless, but Elena hadn't made it through three tours of duty without learning how to get inside your enemies head. She just had to use that same mind set when thinking of Katherine. It hurt to think of her sister like that, but the position Kat was putting her in was untenable. Elena simply could not, in good conscience, fulfill her end of the bargain.

"Okay, Gilbert. Get it together. There's another way—you just have to find it," she told herself and opened the door, only to find one very sexy, smirking Damon Salvatore lurking there, waiting for her and blocking her path.

He stepped forward, pushing her back in to the bathroom and Elena was so surprised to find him there, she let him.

He stared down into her face intently for several seconds and for just a heartbeat, Elena felt as if she was falling into the endless crystalline blue of his magnetic eyes before he gripped her shoulders and hunkered down so that they were at eye level. "Okay, here's the deal. I know this isn't some Dr. Phil worthy sister bonding reunion…" Elena started to shake her head, but he stopped her. "Don't bother. I saw the way Katherine looked at you today and she was _not_ happy to see you, so…" he said, raising a brow. "Here's my question and you get one chance to come clean. If you do—maybe I can help you. If you don't, all bets are off, but…" he warned, "I'm telling you now, I will find out either way."

Elena pulled herself out of his hands. "I don't know what you're talking about!" she exclaimed. She went to move around him, but he stepped in front of her. "Don't make me move you," she gritted out.

"Oh and I bet you could Nikkita," he taunted, still staring at her with that piercing gaze of his. "But you won't because you have an angle here and roughing me up isn't on your agenda."

"Why is it so unrealistic that I'm just here to reconnect with my sister?"

He snorted. "Because first of all, we are talking about Katherine here—the only reconnecting she likes to do is when she's ready to drain you dry."

Elena suddenly realized that Katherine had hurt him—and badly. "I'm sorry," she said softly, sympathetically laying a hand on his arm.

He drew back, a bit startled. "For what?"

"Because she must have hurt you, and for that…I'm sorry."

Damon looked like he could have been knocked over with a feather. His eyes widened and his jaw hung for all of a second before he snapped it closed. "Being hurt means you still care and believe me—I don't," he quipped, but Elena saw beneath it and shook her head.

"Maybe you don't want to, but you still do and I think that's what really bothers you."

He reacted as if she'd just slapped him. "Don't pretend to know anything about me, E-le-na," he sing-songed her name, "because trust me. You don't," he all but growled. "The only thing you really need to know about me is that I don't believe for a second that you're here just to see dear old Kat again. You have an angle and I aim to figure it out."

Elena remained stubbornly mute, but her breathing was heavy and Damon's eyes drifted down to where her chest was heaving. He stepped closer to her and in response Elena took an involuntary step back. He was dangerous—far more dangerous than she'd realized. A simple look from him was like free falling from an airplane. Elena's stomach dropped to her toes and her body shivered in awareness of how attractive she found him. She had to get out of here—now!

It took him all of a second to figure it out too and he stalked her, invading her personal space until mere inches separated them. "So, tell me…" he purred, allowing the back of his hand to ghost over her cheek, making her pulse race with everything—except fear. "What does Kat have that you want, and what is she asking of you to get it?"

Elena's heart jumped to her throat. She knew this was going to go badly..and now it already was...

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**Okay, click that little blue button and let musie know what you think, guys. Feedback feeds the musie... :)**


	4. Chapter 4

All's fair in Love and War

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters…

A/N: Thank you to all of you who have R&R'd or alerted this fic…the feedback really makes a difference. It not only inspires the musie, but there's times when I get some really great ideas from reading a review…not to mention they never fail to make my day, so thanks again. :)

Okay, this is a *huge* chappie. Damon and Elena just insisted on doing this differently than I had originally planned...we'll see what ya'll think.

Jen

**Okay, where we last left off…**

**Damon and Elena are in the bathroom and he's getting a little too close for comfort…**

_"Don't pretend to know anything about me, E-le-na, because trust me. You don't," he all but growled. "The only thing you really need to know about me is that I don't believe for a second that you're here just to see dear old Kat again. You have an angle and I aim to figure it out."_

_Elena remained stubbornly mute, but her breathing was heavy and Damon's eyes drifted down to where her chest was heaving. He stepped closer to her and in response Elena took an involuntary step back. He was dangerous—far more dangerous than she'd realized. _

_It took him all of a second to figure it out too and he stalked her, invading her personal space until mere inches separated them. "So, tell me…" he purred, allowing the back of his hand to ghost over her cheek, making her pulse race with everything—except fear. "What does Kat have that you want, and what is she asking of you to get it?"_

_Elena's heart jumped to her throat. She'd known this was going to go badly...and now it was..._

**Chappie 4**

It seemed an eternity passed between them, yet it was actually only seconds. His hand on her cheek made her insides burn. Never had she felt such an overwhelming and instantaneous attraction to someone and frankly, it scared the hell out of her. It was on the tip of Elena's tongue to simply come clean and tell him everything, yet where would that get her? She didn't know Damon Salvatore well enough to make a decision on whether or not she could trust him when her brother's life depended on it. He was an unknown element and truthfully, Elena would rather deal with the enemy she knew than make the mistake of trusting Damon.

"She doesn't *have* anything on me or anything I want except to be a part of her life again," Elena lied smoothly, more than a little surprised that she'd said that without her voice wavering even a little bit. "I *am* her sister, you know?"

Damon's eyes narrowed and he pressed her back against the wall of the bathroom. "You're lying," he returned, just as smoothly.

Elena's knees almost buckled, but she raised her chin, and stared him down. "Think whatever you want," she said, as if she couldn't care less. "But I suggest you get out of my way, or I _will_ move you—forcefully if necessary!"

His intense blue eyes scrutinized her once more before he stepped to the side. "I bet you would too," he said with a smirk. He bowed and waved a hand towards the door. "By all means—leave."

Elena started to walk past him, but just as she passed, he grabbed her by the arm. "Go ahead and keep your secrets, El-e-na," he said, sing songing her name in the way he'd begun to do—the way that was starting to seriously piss her off! "But, I'll be watching you and I _will_ figure out what you're up to. Don't think for a second I actually believe this sister bonding crap!" he snarled and with that, he let her go and stormed out of the bathroom, leaving Elena to sag against the sink as her knees finally turned to mush.

"Oh God!" she breathed. Her heart was pounding in her chest. She was scared. Truly scared like she hadn't been since the first time since she'd fired her weapon at a real live human being in Iraq almost six years ago!

She splashed some more cool water on her face and did her best to put herself back together again before rejoining her sister and the Salvatore brothers' in the dining room.

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**Salvatore Estate: Damon's room.**

The ringing of his cell phone made Damon stir and groan as he blindly reached out to shut the damned thing off. His head was pounding and he couldn't seem to open his eyes. Shit! How much had he had to drink last night anyhow? His hand knocked over a glass on his bedside table as he searched for his phone and he cursed softly as he heard it hit the carpeted floor with a thud. Hopefully that was empty…

"Damon, will you please get that-it's making my head hurt!"

He groaned again. What had he done? Hazy images of getting drunk and calling Andie were bombarding his brain and he let out another soft curse, wishing he could pull a pillow over his head and pretend his ex-squeeze was *not* lying next to him right now. This was all Elena's fault!

"Daaamonnnn…" Andie whined, the sound making his teeth gnash, "please answer your phone."

"I would if I could find the damned thing…" he snapped, finally sitting up in bed and searching wildly for the sound of the noise, but the phone gave a last beep and then went silent.

Damon sighed in relief until his eyes landed on the naked back of the woman in his bed. Damn, he'd really screwed up this time. But, in his defense, the last couple of days had been maddening. Between his overwhelming (and still growing) attraction to Elena and Katherine's constant plotting to get him alone, he swore he was going crazy! And now, to top it all off and make a bad situation even worse, he'd gotten plastered last night and booty called a woman he'd barely managed to get rid of less than a month prior.

"Dammit!" he muttered as he collapsed back into his pillow. Maybe if he just closed his eyes, this (she) would go away, but then his phone started ringing again and he let out a flurry of muttered oaths as he sat up, found the phone on the floor and snatched it up. "What?" he barked into the receiver, running a hand over his blood shot eyes. God, he felt like crap!

"Well, good morning to you too, Sunshine," Mason Lockwood's voice came over the line, sounding far too cheerful to suit Damon's foul mood.

"Tell me this is good news Mason or I'm hanging up on you."

"Someone sounds like they have a hangover," he said, still with the happy voice that made Damon's scowl darken even further. "You want me to call you back or do you want the information I was able to gather on your girl?"

Now _that_ got Damon's attention. "No!" he said a little louder than he'd intended. He glanced over his shoulder and breathed a sigh of relief when he noticed Andie had fallen back asleep. He eased his weight off the bed, careful not to wake her again. He'd have to deal with her eventually, but not right now. "Hang on," he said as he made his way out of the bedroom and into the en-suite bathroom. He shut the door with a soft click and leaned against it as he tried to get his head on straight. If only the tiny little men with jackhammers in his head would quiet down for just a moment!

"Okay, tell me what you found out."

Mason gave him the run down. The basics first—her name, when she graduated high school, when she joined the Army, how long she'd spent in Iraq and then Damon perked up when it got interesting. Apparently on Elena's second tour of duty she'd saved not only her own troop, but a marine unit as well.

Damon smiled. Well, well, well…she was an actual war hero! He was more than a little intrigued. Maybe he was wrong about her, but…no. He shook his head. There was something—something just not right about this whole reunion with Katherine and he was bound and determined to figure it out.

"Is that it?" he asked.

"No," Mason replied. "Her father died last year. Her mother; Isobel has been in and out of jail for public intoxication and drunk and disorderly."

"Jesus," Damon breathed, his admiration for Elena growing.

"Yeah, and it gets worse…the younger brother Jeremy fell into drugs pretty bad a few years back. He's got a rap sheet. Nothing _too_ serious—a possession charge, he did a couple months in jail for that and a few disturbing the peace charges. Then there were some minor bookmaking charges—none of which he ever did any time for, but he's trouble, Damon."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean trouble, with a capital T. He got in pretty deep with some local thugs after his dad died; Klaus and Elijah Första. He started gambling pretty heavy and apparently owes them a lot of money. I don't have the exact amount, but I was led to understand it's over a hundred grand."

Damon drew in a sharp breath. "A hundred grand?" he asked, "Did I hear you right?" That might be chump change to him, but he had to imagine it wasn't to Elena.

"Yep. Over a hundred large and they're not the kind of guys to forget a debt like that, if you know what I mean?"

Damon nodded. He did indeed know the type. "Does Elena know?"

"Yeah, she met with them before she headed your way."

"You know that for sure?"

"My contacts are *always* reliable, Damon, you know that," Mason retorted, actually sounding annoyed that Damon would even ask him the question.

Damon offered a half-assed apology and asked when it was that Elena had met with the brothers'.

"A day or so before she flew out to Fells Church. I'm guessing that the girl is there to get the cash to bail her brother out…"

Damon nodded. "Yeah," he agreed. It was the only thing that made sense, actually. For the first time that day, despite his aching head, Damon smiled. Okay…this he could deal with—or use this to make a deal with Elena actually. "That's a lot of information in just a couple of days, Mason. I'm impressed."

Mason chuckled. "I aim to please." He paused and then said, "There's more. While getting the dirt on Elena…I found out a few things about Katherine if you're interested?"

Hearing that almost made his headache go away! "Of course I'm interested," he replied quickly. "She's making my life unbearable! What did you find out?"

"Well, I learned that the Första brothers' not only have a hold on baby brother, but apparently they also know big sister too. Katherine was involved with one the younger brother, Klaus for a while before—now this is just rumor, mind you, I haven't confirmed the Intel, but my contact said she ripped Klaus off for a huge chunk of change and split town about six years ago…" Mason paused, taking a breath before he asked, "Isn't that about the time you first met her?"

"Yeah," Damon answered. "Just about." His mind was working furiously now, trying to decide how he could use this information to get Elena to tell him the truth and get Kat off his back…permanently. Suddenly he straightened as Mason's information sunk in. "Wait, I've had you run Kat before—why is it you're just _now_ coming up with all this?"

"You had me run Katherine Pierce, Damon," Mason replied easily. "She wasn't Katherine Pierce then. The court documents are sealed, but basically she became emancipated at seventeen and legally changed her name to Pierce the same year—so when I did a background check on her all that came up was information after she'd left Mystic Falls." He chuckled, "This time I was asking about Katherine Gilbert and voilà…a whole new person showed up!"

Damon was well pleased. "Keep digging, Mason. I'll wire you some more money later today." He paused, already feeling better than he had in months. "Good work, man. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it."

Mason laughed. "Yeah, tell me that after you get my next bill!"

Damon laughed softly. "Whatever the price—it's worth it to have the upper hand for once when dealing with Katherine…trust me," he said with a sigh.

Mason made an *mm-hmm* sound and said he'd call later when he had some of the details and rumors confirmed.

Damon reminded him to keep searching for more information on Elena and the brother too before he hung up the phone.

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**Downstairs poolside:**

Elena was sitting outside on the patio, enjoying the warm morning and having coffee with a slice of toast for breakfast, when Stefan appeared on the veranda leading to the pool where she was. She tensed up as she saw him heading her way, hating the position she was in. Damon and Katherine were making an ass out of him and Elena took honor very seriously. She'd already come to the conclusion that the eldest Salvatore brother didn't know the meaning of the word since she knew he was cheating with Kat, flirted with her outrageously ever since she'd been here and then last night, she'd accidentally walked in on him and some other floozy in the kitchen having a 'midnight-snack' in flagrante! Good God! The man was a menace to all woman-kind! He'd been drunk as a skunk of course, but then again, in the few days Elena had been here, she couldn't remember a time when Damon did *not* have a drink in hand. She seriously doubted he'd remember the encounter in the kitchen, but that still didn't excuse his behavior.

He'd even had the utter nerve to drunkenly accuse her of teasing him, telling her that if _she'd _have made herself available then he wouldn't have been forced to call Ally or whatever the woman's name was! He was insufferable and she wondered if her sister knew her lover wasn't just screwing his brother over, but her too!

She sighed and took another bite of her toast. Elena's head hurt. There were a lot of secrets in this house—too many. She wished she could simply tell the truth, get the money she needed for Jeremy and put this house, it's far too sexy owner and all this ugly business behind her, but she knew that would only spell Jeremy's death sentence. She desperately needed Katherine's help, but the thought of playing along with her twin's diabolical plan made her physically ill.

She set her toast aside, no longer hungry as Stefan joined her under the umbrella of the glass patio table she was sitting at.

"So," he said, taking a seat and setting his coffee down. "Are you getting settled in?"

She nodded just as Lupe, the maid, followed behind him and set a tray of fresh fruit, buttered croissants and a glass of orange juice down on the table. "Here you are, Mr. Salvatore," she said, beaming at him as she put some cantaloupe, honeydew melon and grapes on a small china plate and set it in front of him. He started to wave her off, but she wagged a finger at him and pushed the plate towards him in a no-nonsense manner. "You must eat! All those hours you spend at the hospital…you need your strength and I know you have not had your breakfast yet," she chided gently.

Stefan gave her a warm smile and capitulated. "Thank you, Lupe," he replied dutifully and added a croissant to his plate. "I'll eat." He placed a hand over his heart. "I promise," he said, giving the woman another boyish grin that made Elena's heart break just a little more.

Once the kindly maid had left they chatted about how Elena was enjoying her stay so far. "I'm sorry about Damon last night," he said. "Sometimes he just needs to…um…let go, but that usually involves an obscene amount of alcohol and I know he was a little pushy last night after dinner. Just let me know if you want me to talk to him. I don't want him to make you uncomfortable."

Oh you have no idea…she thought, once again thinking of Damon naked with his blonde friend, but instead, she pushed that memory aside and told Stefan it wasn't his fault and not to worry about it before quickly and unobtrusively dropping the subject of Damon. The last thing she needed was Stefan realizing how his brother sent her emotions spinning out of control.

"It's pretty here," she commented idly, switching to a safe topic. "The air is so crisp, not muggy like Virginia," she told him.

Stefan asked her a bit about her hometown and Elena filled him in hesitantly, keeping to just the basics because she was not at all sure what Kat had told her husband about her past, but as they talked about Elena's time in the Army and what her plans were after her service agreement was up, they fell into an easy rhythm of conversation and Elena found herself sharing with him how she'd always wanted to be a writer and how she'd had an idea to take some of her experiences in the war and write a book on it.

Stefan seemed truly interested and even gave her the name of a publisher in New York who might be able to help her. The crushing guilt Elena was feeling only got worse the more got to know her sister's husband. He was a nice guy and didn't deserve being played like Kat _and_ Damon were doing.

"So what about you?" she asked, giving him a warm smile, "I know you're a doctor. Do you mind me asking what kind and what you specialize in?"

If anything the weight of her burden got worse as he told her about his work with pediatric leukemia patients. Elena actually felt physically ill again as he passionately explained the cancer research that Salvatore Pharmaceuticals was involved in and how he hoped it could possibly result in helping to find (if not a cure) but at least a way to ease these children's suffering. He talked about his patients like they were part of his family. He knew each of their names and even went on to tell her what hobbies each child enjoyed most. It was both heartwarming and heartbreaking because Elena did not, in any way shape or form, want to hurt this man. He was practically a Saint for Gods sakes!

What was wrong with Katherine? Stefan was practically perfect, but then Damon's magnetic blue eyes and sinful body flashed in her mind and Elena sympathized with Kat's obsession. Damon Salvatore was the poster child for the bad-boy your mother warned you about. Dark, dangerous and sexy beyond belief. While Stefan was extremely handsome, he wasn't dangerous. He was the safe choice—something Elena could usually relate to since she was the sister that liked to play it safe. But knowing her twin the way she did, Elena couldn't understand why Kat would choose Stefan. The elder brother was definitely more her type. Stefan would usually be more *her* type, but Stefan didn't make her heart race. Stefan didn't make an ache throb between her legs every time he smiled. Elena felt a blush rise to her cheeks as she remembered Damon's perfect body. Okay, so maybe Damon was *every* woman's type, (if they had eyes-that is) but still…he was an ass! A gorgeous ass—high and firm…Stop that! She chastised herself.

"So," she asked, taking a sip of her coffee and grasping for any other topic to discuss other than the one dancing around (nakedly) in her own head. "How did you and Katherine meet?"

Stefan frowned and his jaw tightened. Elena was a bit surprised at his reaction—most people love sharing the 'how we met' story, but apparently not her brother-in law.

"I…" He suddenly glanced at his watch. "Wow! Look at the time, it's getting late. I have a consultation this morning," he hurried to explain as he downed the rest of his coffee and popped the last bite of melon in his mouth. "I'm sorry, Elena, do you mind if I take a rain-check on answering that until later?"

It was such a clichéd brushoff that Elena didn't know how to respond and she saw a flash of something across his face. It looked like guilt and she couldn't help but wonder what he had to feel guilty about. "Um, sure," she said with a small shrug. "I guess so."

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair in a nervous gesture. "It's a long story…and maybe…" he shuffled from foot to foot, definitely looking guiltier by the second. "Maybe Katherine should be the one to tell you first."

Elena nodded and he thanked her before hightailing it out of there as if the Spanish Inquisitors were hot on his trail! As she watched him leave, Elena's interest was officially peaked. It seemed Katherine wasn't the only one carrying a burden in that relationship, but what could someone, especially someone as kind as Stefan appeared to be, supposedly have done that would stamp such a broody look of self-flagellation across his already heavy brow? And what did it have to do with how he and Kat met?

It was another mystery in a house with far too many skeletons already, but this was one Elena decided she'd ask her sister the answer to when or if she ever decided to rise for the day!

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**Upstairs:**

Damon absorbed everything Mason had just told him. While he wasn't at all surprised Kat had taken off with some asshole's cash and bailed on him. He snorted. That was typical Katherine behavior. He _was_ intrigued with the information he was garnering about Elena. She seemed to be here trying to help her brother and nothing in the news Mason had just given him even hinted at her being a corrupt or bad person. So, why the hell would she want to assert herself back into Kat's life when her sister was nothing more than a lying, thieving, manipulative bitch? If it was just for money to get her brother out of the jam he was in, why hadn't Kat just given her the cash and sent her on her way. Katherine could easily get her hands on that much money—Stefan, idiot that he was, let her have free reign on her spending! Or why hadn't Elena herself told him that the other night? Hell, he'd have written her a damned check if it was to save her brother's life! But then again, why would she trust him? She hardly knew him.

He sighed. His head hurt like hell and most of the night was nothing but a blur, though he_ did_ remember trying to talk Elena into staying up and drinking with him, but she'd flat out shot him down and he had the distinct feeling she didn't like him much. After she'd left him alone downstairs, he'd polished off the entire bottle and that had led him into getting shit faced and making 'the call'. He groaned. Why had he done that? Everyone knows the phone is a very-_very_ bad thing when you're drunk! Damon's temples throbbed with the excess of booze and he had some extremely disturbing visions, hazy and blurry at best, of Andie and himself naked in the kitchen with Elena there…watching and…oh shit! He ran an agitated hand through his already messy hair as he tried to decide if that was real or just some twisted fantasy. Ugh! Please let it be twisted fantasy! He felt his stomach roil. He was so screwed and now he had Andie to deal with still… and if what he was remembering actually happened, Elena probably hated him now. Great! Could this day get any worse?

He glared at his reflection in the mirror. "Smart move, Salvatore," he growled to himself. "Way to think with the little head instead of the big one!"

Tired of beating himself up, he flipped on the shower and stepped under the hot spray, turning so that the nozzle was at his back. He tilted his head to allow the water to wet his hair and soothe away the aches and pains in his body. Picking up the bar of soap, he lathered up his chest, his hands smoothing over the rock hard muscles of his pectorals before sliding down the smooth ridges of his abdomen to wash his belly and groin. His thoughts turned again to Elena. He couldn't get her out of his head and as soon as her face entered his mind, his body responded.

He closed his eyes as his hand wrapped around the burgeoning erection her vision inspired. "Elena…" he said softly as he stroked his rigid length, imaging her hand touching him, stroking him. He thought of her lips, so plump and full, wrapped around him as he moved in and out of the hot, sweet recesses of her mouth.

"Fuck!" He growled as his cock twitched in his hand, aching, throbbing. He braced one arm against the glass wall and leaned forward until his forehead rested on his forearm. He began to pump his fist up and down his hard shaft, picturing Elena on her knees in front of him, swallowing him down until he was buried balls deep inside that sexy little mouth of hers.

"Yes!" he gasped, fisting his cock harder and harder, almost *feeling* her lips around him…her tongue swirling around his tip, licking him up, tasting him. It was so fucking good; he groaned again and let his imagination have free reign. He wanted to bury his hands in her hair as he thrust his cock deep into her wet mouth, holding her still as he set the pace and he groaned in pleasure as he imagined her taking every inch of him down her tight little throat, milking him, humming around his length, sucking him hard until it blew his mind.

Damon's eyes clenched shut and he let out a soft curse as he felt his body tighten. His balls drew up and he began to shudder as he gave a final pump of his hand before letting go. His body convulsed and he climaxed, spraying his hot semen across the glass wall of his shower. He moaned Elena's name quietly before sagging against the glass and letting the water rinse away the evidence of his fantasy.

Somewhat satisfied, yet still hungry for the object of his desires, he finished his shower and finally got out when the water began to cool. He dried off his hair before slinging the towel around his neck and wrapping another around his waist. Glancing at his reflection in the waist high bathroom mirror, he paused, eyeing his body and face critically. He was a good looking man, he knew it. Women dropped their panties with just a grin from him. So, what was it about *this* particular girl that made his blood boil? Made him lose all control? She was gorgeous, yes. Of that there was no doubt, but then again, so was Kat. It wasn't just Elena's beauty that called to him though. There was something else there—something special and just out of his reach that lured him to her, like a siren's call…

Realizing he was waxing more than poetic, he rolled his eyes at himself and snorted at his image in the mirror. Jesus-H-Christ! Listen to him, he sounded like Stefan! Next thing you know, he'd be keeping a journal and writing poems about the color of her eyes!

"God no," he groaned.

Just the thought made him cringe. He wanted Elena in his bed, simple as that and he was dead set on figuring her out so he could fuck her six ways from sideways and get her out of his system _before_ he did something even stupider than he had last night.

Like what? 'Like fall in love with her,' his traitorous mind answered. Damon slammed the door on that thought immediately. No way! The _absolute last_ thing he needed was to fall for another Gilbert sister!

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**Downstairs:**

Elena had been lost in thought, sitting outside for a better part of an hour when the double French doors leading to the patio opened again, only this time it was the elder Salvatore brother that strolled outside to join her. Elena bit back a groan. Great! Just what she _didn't_ need! She'd just been trying to find ways to limit the amount of time spent with the far too handsome devil and suddenly as if her overactive imagination created him, *poof* here he is. Of course he looked good enough to eat in his dark jeans, black form fitting Tee and a pair of dark shades covering those magnificent eyes of his. His hair was still wet and it simply wasn't fair that he looked so fresh and gorgeous after getting so stinking drunk just last night. Elena hoped he had the mother of all hangovers today because after her run in with him and his bimbo—she'd barely slept a wink and it irked her to think she might be the only one to suffer for his overindulgence!

He flashed her that teasing little smirk of his and Elena felt her cheeks burn as she watched the way he moved, like a predator and on the heels of that thought came the reminder of how delicious he looked naked too. All hard and lean muscles and firm…Oh God! Bad thoughts! She forcefully put the brakes on that train of thought. He was a pig! A man who flitted from one woman to another without a care, but as he gracefully sauntered across the poolside, getting closer and closer to her, the animal that came to mind wasn't swine—it was leopard. Her heart rate increased and she could do no more than stare at him in rapt fascination that someone so wicked could be so pretty. Elena suddenly felt like a gazelle being stalked by the big jungle cat. Damon was dangerous…that was the one thought that came to mind every time she looked at him and like the gazelle—Elena felt the instinctual need to run when a predator was in her midst.

She gathered her coffee cup and plate and made to rise, but he was quicker and in the blink of an eye he was beside the table, his hand on her arm stopping her from escaping.

He pushed his sunglasses down so that she got the full effect of his amazing eyes. "Don't rush off on my account," he purred, pulling her back to her seat as he took the seat opposite her.

He slipped the shades back into place, but Elena noticed the slight wince he gave beforehand. Maybe he was nursing a headache after all. Good!

Maybe she'd stay for a bit after all. "I wasn't," she lied easily. "I'm simply done with my breakfast and was going to go inside and see if Katherine was up yet."

He snorted with laughter. "Yeah right! It's not afternoon yet, is it?"

She rolled her eyes. "You know very well it's barely ten."

"And so do you," he chided, wagging a finger at her. "So you should also know that Kat won't be up for at least a couple more hours." His blue eyes danced with mischievousness as he added in a stage whisper, "Your sister's like a vampire—you'll never see her awake before the sun sets…"

Elena rolled her eyes again, but didn't bother to refute the statement (even if it was a gross exaggeration). She'd seen proof of Katherine's late rising every day since she'd been here, it was true Kat rarely made an appearance before noon, but still, it rankled that he'd talk so callously about a woman he was sleeping with. "And what about you?" she shot back, raising a brow. "What are you doing up already? I thought for sure you and your…uh…friend would be sleeping in since you decided to tie one on last night."

Damon's reaction was almost comical. He snatched his shades off and his eyes bulged as he gaped at her, his mouth opening and closing several times before he sputtered, "What friend?"

Elena almost felt sorry for him he looked so uncomfortable—almost, but not quite. "Oh, you know…the one you were um…" she paused and to her dismay, felt another blush rising to her cheeks, "with in the kitchen last night," she replied, waving her hand as she tightened the screws on his discomfort up to a whole other level.

Damon groaned out loud and hung his head in his hands. "Oh shit! I thought I was hallucinating that—or at least I'd hoped…"

Realizing that he was even more embarrassed than she was, Elena dished him up the same kind of smirk he usually gave out. "Nope," she told him cheekily, thoroughly enjoying having _him_ on the ropes for once. "It was real—live and in living color even, like a drunken porno I just happened to be unlucky enough to stumble into."

Damon opened his mouth to respond, but Lupe appeared at that moment with a tray containing a cup of coffee, two aspirin and some dry toast.

"No food, Lupe," he whined after thanking her for the aspirin and coffee.

She crossed her arms over her ample bosom. "You need it to settle your stomach." He started to refute that, but she shook her finger at him, much like she had Stefan. "No arguing, you eat Master Salvatore or I won't make you my tamales this weekend like I promised."

He gave her a boyish grin that made Elena's heart flutter wildly in her chest. "Now you're just being cruel," he replied, but just as his brother had earlier, Damon caved to the short, but round housekeeper and took a small bite of his toast. "See…I'm eating," he told her, once again flashing that charm smile.

Satisfied that he was following direction, the woman gave a nod, turned and left them alone again.

He popped the aspirin in his mouth and chased them down with a sip of his coffee before turning back to Elena. "I guess an 'I'm sorry for last night' would sound cliché, but I am," he told her, reaching across the table to put his hand over hers.

Tingles raced up Elena's spine and she stiffened before pulling her hand out from under his. He frowned at her reaction, but she didn't care. Her skin burned where he'd touched her and she felt her cheeks flush as his eyes met her in a questioning manner. Lord, what was wrong with her? He'd just crawled out of another woman's arms and yet, here she was getting butterflies in her tummy because he'd touched her hand! Elena mentally smacked herself upside the head. Get it together Gilbert!

"So," she said, ignoring his raised brow as she poured herself another cup of coffee. "Where's your friend? Didn't you even offer her breakfast, or did you just show her the door with a 'wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am'?" She knew she was being catty, but really—he made her so angry and flustered and…confused.

Damon sighed. "Look, I think we've gotten off on the wrong foota dn I know I've probably offended you, especially with bringing Andie here last night, but I was drunk and really I had no intention of—"

So her name was Andie? Elena's temper flared and she couldn't help it, something about him just set her off. "What?" she cut in, letting her anger go, "having me see you parading naked around the house with some bimbo while you're sleeping with my sister on the sly?"

Damon blinked at her. "Excuse me? Did you just accuse me of sleeping with Kat?"

"Oh please," Elena retorted, exasperated. "Don't play dumb with me, Damon. I know you and Katherine are having an affair."

"She told you?" he queried, obviously stunned.

"Yeah, she made it pretty clear that you were hers."

"What?" he exclaimed, collapsing back into his seat with a look of utter disbelief stamped across his face "She actually said that—that I was hers?"

Elena wanted to smack him. How dare he act shocked and pissed off! He sleeps with Kat, but won't let her call him hers? What a jerk! "Yeah, she did and maybe if you didn't bring other women home or flirt with every available female right under her nose, she wouldn't feel the need to practically pee on you to mark her territory!"

He laughed long and hard before his face turned into a cold mask of anger. "First of all, let's get one thing straight, right now..." He leaned across the table until he was right up in her face. "I am *not* Katherine's property. Got it? I haven't had a thing to do with your sister in almost two months."

"But you did!" Elena fired back. "You cheated with her." She looked at him like he was lower than beetle dung. "God, how could you do that? How could you do that to your own brother?"

Damon's eyes widened. "How could I…?" Elena could see the veins in his neck bulging. He was absolutely furious. "Trust me, I feel the guilt, but since you have no fucking clue what you're even talking about right now—I'm going to forget we even had this conversation," he bit out with bitter laugh, "or better yet…why don't you ask Saint Stefan how he met your sister first, before you accuse _me_ of being a prick, okay?"

Elena gasped as it fell into place. Stefan's guilt—Katherine's struggle with Damon, it made sense if… "You dated her first," she said softly.

For just a heartbeat he looked surprised and just a tad vulnerable before his façade of snarky indifference snapped back into place. "Nicely deduced," he replied dryly

"Why did you do it?" she asked softly.

Elena could almost see the wheels in his mind spinning. Finally he sighed and his shoulders hunched forward as he placed his elbows on the table. "I wanted to hurt him. Hurt him like he hurt me, okay?"

Elena nodded. She understood that and for the first time since she'd met him, Damon let down his walls just a bit and she was able to see his vulnerability. "I'm sorry," she told him and she meant it.

"Don't be. I'm over it. I just don't want Stefan to find out." He paused for a moment before saying, "You know when I came back here it was to tear this house apart and now…"

"What?" she prompted; utterly intrigued with this softer side of him.

He shrugged. "Now, I just don't want to hurt my brother anymore."

She nodded, not sure what to say. Damon was far more dangerous and complicated than she'd ever suspected and for a few moments Elena sat there quietly, as did Damon, both of them seemingly lost in their thoughts until he turned those baby blues on her again and asked, "So, are you going to tell dear old Stefan what you found out?"

He'd said it kind of flippantly, but Elena could feel the tension rolling off him in waves and quickly shook her head. "No," she answered. What purpose would that serve, she added silently as she felt her heart ache for everyone involved in this awful love triangle—well, except maybe her sister, who seemed to want her cake and eat it too! She and Katherine were going to have a little chat—that was for sure!

"Good," he said, shoving the heavy metal chair back with a scrape as he suddenly got to his feet. "Now, if you're done raking me over the coals for my less than stellar character, I think I'll go upstairs and strangle your sister in her sleep before she does any more damage to this family!"

Elena's jaw dropped at his ugly remark to her and it took her a minute to recover, but then the last part of his statement hit her brain and she jumped to her feet too. "Damon, wait! You can't—"

But he was gone and as she hurried after him, she could only hope he'd meant the whole 'strangling' thing figuratively and not literally!

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**Okay guys, there's the next chappie…I know—no smut yet, but like I said, I'm trying something new and I hope the shower scene with Damon was enough to tide you over for a bit…I simply can't resist getting him naked, but really…do you blame me? Lol!**

**Reviews are love, people. :) :) :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**All's fair in Love and War**

**A fic by: Jen**

**Disclaimer: I own none of the characters, but I do own the plot.**

**A/N: Thank you for all of you who've reviewed or favored this fic. You inspire me. Sorry for the delay in this chappie. I had a bit of writer's block, but I struggled through it and I hope you like this…I'm not sure I'm too hot on this chappie, but it just kept coming out like this. The characters want to tell their story. I couldn't fight it anymore. This *is* a uber long chappie, so I hope it makes up for the three week no show on an update. :) :) :)**

**xoxo**

**Jen**

**Okay, so taking off where we last left off…**

_"Good," he said, shoving the heavy metal chair back with a scrape as he suddenly got to his feet. "Now, if you're done raking me over the coals for my less than stellar character, I think I'll go upstairs and strangle your sister in her sleep before she does any more damage to this family!"_

_Elena's jaw dropped at his ugly remark to her and it took her a minute to recover, but then the last part of his statement hit her brain and she jumped to her feet too. "Damon, wait! You can't—"_

_But he was gone and as she hurried after him, she could only hope he'd meant the whole 'strangling' thing figuratively and not literally!_

**Chappie 5**

Damon stormed into Kat's room with Elena hot on his heels. "Katherine, get the hell up!" he yelled as he strode across the dimly lit suite. He yanked open the curtains flooding the room in brilliant rays of sunshine.

Katherine yanked off the black satin eye cover she wore for sleeping and blinked, groaning in annoyance when the bright light momentarily blinded her. "Jesus, Damon!" she complained, putting her hand over her eyes, "what's your malfunction?"

"My _malfunction_, as you call it, is the fact that you have the utter nerve to tell your sister that I'm yours! Where the hell do you get off saying that, Katherine?"

Katherine slowly removed her hand from her eyes. Her cold gaze immediately went from Damon's angry face to seek out and find Elena standing just inside the doorway. Katherine pinned her there with an angry glare. "I told Elena we were lovers, Damon, _which_," she added with a sneer, glancing back to Damon, "is the truth."

"_Was_, Kat," he interjected, clenching his fists. "It was the truth. Not anymore."

Katherine waved a hand. "Whatever," she replied flippantly. "The fact is; I didn't lie. I told Elena we had a relationship. However she interpreted that and relayed it to you; is entirely upon her." The elder sibling's eyes dared her twin to contradict her.

Elena gnawed her lower lip, wishing a giant hole would simply open up in the floor and swallow her whole as Damon's entire body tightened with anger. This was going to get ugly, but like watching a car accident about to happen—she couldn't look away.

"Bullshit!" he spat, stalking over to the bed. "You led her to believe something different and you know it."

"Maybe I did…maybe I didn't," Katherine said in a sultry voice as she got to her knees and struck a provocative pose. Her low cut nightgown clung to her curves as she eyed her ex-lover up and down, twirling a loose curl around her finger. "But tell me…what are you really upset about, Damon? That the beans got spilled about us, or the realization that because Elena knows about you and me, she won't be another one of your easy conquests?"

Damon opened his mouth to retort, but snapped it shut just as quick. Truth was—he _was _pissed that Kat's insinuation had made him look even worse in Elena's eyes. But then again, he'd done a pretty good job of that himself by bringing Andie home last night. His eyes were drawn to Katherine's body and he furiously looked away, anywhere but at her.

"Look, it doesn't matter how your sister sees me," he said, glancing at Elena. "I'm an asshole," he said, staring right at her. "I know it, and I'm pretty sure she thinks so too." Elena could only stare, not sure what to say before he turned away and glared at Katherine again. "But, that still doesn't mean I'm *_your_* asshole, so cut the shit, Kat. We're done." He jabbed a finger in her direction. "Get that through your thick head and go back to Stefan where you belong," he said softly before spinning on his heel and stalking from the room, sparing Elena a small glance as he passed by her in the doorway.

After he'd left, Elena let out the breath she'd been holding. Thankfully and amazingly, Damon had let it go easier than she'd expected and without any strangling at all! She was so relieved and pumped from the drama of it all, that she almost felt like she should have pom-poms in her hands right now and saying-give me a 'Yay-team!'

Instead, she turned to leave, but Katherine's cold voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Don't even think of slinking out of here, Lena. You and I need to have a little chat and since I'm already up—thanks to you and Damon, it might as well be now."

Elena squared her shoulders and turned to face her twin. "You're right, we_ do_ need to talk," she said, determined to tell Katherine she would *not* be seducing Stefan for her.

Katherine reclined on her mound of pillows as Elena made her way over to the bed. She took in the stubborn tilt to Elena's chin and a slow smirk curled her perfect lips upward. "Don't tell me you think you actually grew a spine over there in that miserable desert."

Elena's fists clenched at the taunt, but she relaxed, refusing to let Kat see her sweat. Her sister was a predator and any show of weakness would give her the motivation to attack. Instead Elena shrugged the comment off as if it wasn't the opening salvo of Katherine's assault. "I don't _think_ I did—I _know_ I did," she said matter of fact, but without any real emotion, meeting her sister's eyes dead on and holding the intense gaze. "Facing death on a daily basis kind-a does that to a person."

The sarcasm wasn't lost on Katherine. "Fine, so you finally grew a pair. Good for you," she said rolling her eyes. "But, that's not what I want to talk to you about, so why don't you have a seat…" She patted the place beside her on the bed, "and we'll go over our deal and your obvious lack of appreciation for said agreement."

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Downstairs, Damon poured himself a stiff drink and downed it in one gulp before pouring himself another. He paced back and forth in the parlor, sipping his drink as the scene from upstairs replayed in his head. It had taken all his willpower to walk out of Katherine's room without putting his hands on her…and not in a good way. Why the fuck had he ever—_ever_ gotten involved with her again? Oh yeah. Revenge...It was supposed to be sweet, yet it wasn't. It was bitter. He could almost hear his brother condemning him and the guilt was eating him up. Maybe Elena was right. Maybe he really *did* care more than he let on.

"Fuck!" he muttered under his breath, running a hand through his messy hair. This situation was a powder keg just waiting to explode and it was all-his-fault. Every bit of it. If he hadn't been so hell bent on making Stefan and Katherine pay for hurting him, he wouldn't have started up the affair to begin with and he would've realized, much sooner than he had, that she wasn't the kind of woman worth fighting over.

Actually, had it been anyone *but* Stefan that had taken her from him, he (most likely) wouldn't have reacted so strongly since he and Kat had been fighting over money for weeks before Stefan. *But* since it *was* Stefan...it had felt like another (life-long) rejection all over again. Just like his father. Giuseppe had always favored Stefan over him. Always. No matter how hard Damon had tried to please him, it was never enough to make the old man happy. It was always Stefan and (especially after their mother died) Damon realized very quickly, for Giuseppe, it would *always* only be Stefan that meant anything to him. And then Katherine had done the same thing—chosen Stefan over him. It had made him crazy and when the opportunity to avenge his devastated ego had come along, he'd jumped on it. Literally.

Damon scowled as he contemplated the amber fluid in his glass as if the answers to his past with his brother were floating there. Why was it always his brother who got everything? Stefan was always the good boy. The fucking *chosen* one or something! Was he (Damon) really *that* bad?

Yeah, he'd been mischievous in his youth and had pulled some outlandish crap; like how he used to like to smuggle snakes into his bedroom as pets when he was eight or nine and how (always and eventually) they'd escape and end up in various places around the house, nearly scaring half the household to death. Or when he was ten and he decided to join the circus after his parents had taken him and Stefan to one that was traveling through town. He'd had his bags packed and was patiently waiting for the cab out front when his mother had found him. She'd been upset with him, but he'd insisted he wanted to be a circus performer and she'd explained he wasn't old enough to leave home, but if he really wanted to be accomplished at anything, then he had to train for it. So, for the next year Damon practiced his high wire act (much to his mother's worry and his father's fury). He'd been getting good too, cocky even and decided to show off and do it without a net…well, that little stunt had cost him a broken his arm. Needless to say his mom wasn't happy, but she hadn't been nearly as angry as his father who'd called him reckless and ridiculous! But by that time, Damon was used to his father calling him names, so it didn't really faze him.

Then there was the time when he was twelve and he'd climbed up on the roof of their house after bedtime because he'd wanted to watch the comet that was supposed to fly right over Fell's Church at midnight. His parents (mother) had given him a brand spanking new video camera. It was the latest and greatest technology and Damon was chomping at the bit to try it out. The comet had come at exactly 12:01 and Damon had captured it on film in all its glory, yet he'd been so into filming it that he'd tripped, fallen off the roof and broken several bones in his body along with many other various cuts and bruises suffered in the two story fall.

Giuseppe had been absolutely furious, lividly ranting and raving that Damon was the eldest and how that role should make him realize he needed to stop being so utterly foolish with his life and respect his position as the heir, but his mother had been far more understanding. She'd been worried, yes, but she'd also told him that she admired his adventurous spirit.

Damon found out later, she'd even saved the film of his debacle when she'd come into his room a few nights later and put the tape in his VCR. She's scooted next to him on his bed and they watched his 'film' together as she'd told him how proud she was of him, while explaining that he was never to do anything so dangerous by himself again.

Damon would never forget how she cuddled him to her side and hugged him gently. "Next time," she whispered, kissing the side of his head, "come and get me and we'll watch it together…"

Damon swallowed hard at the memory. His eyes hurt and he blinked rapidly to dispel any traces of tears. That memory was both a wonderful and painful one because it reminded him of what he lost.

Less than a week later, she'd died and suddenly Damon had been all alone.

He would never forget the day of her funeral…

Damon had been devastated by the sudden loss of the only real warmth he'd ever had in his young life. He'd tried to be brave. To be a Salvatore and not cry—like his father expected, but at twelve years old, it had been so hard. After they'd laid her to rest, he'd gone to his father's study, seeking comfort, but Stefan was already there. Damon remembered Giuseppe sitting in his big chair next to the fireplace and in their father's lap, was his five year old brother, getting all the love and comfort Damon so desperately needed. He'd shuffled into the room, eager yet hesitant as he tried to get in on the (rare) hug his father was sharing with Stefan, but Giuseppe had pushed him away. He'd told him (in no uncertain terms) to be a man, not a baby and 'Couldn't he, (Damon) see that Stefan needed to be taken care of right now and why was he, (Damon) always so selfish and reckless?'

"You didn't do your mother any favors with that kind behavior, son." His father had chastised while cuddling Stefan to his chest. "Don't you think it's time you started being more responsible? Or do you want to give everyone who loves you a heart attack?"

His mother had died from a rare coronary disease due to the high levels of an amino acid (called Homocysteine) in her blood. And even though he knew (now) it wasn't his fault. It didn't matter because, right then and there, he'd started to believe it *was* his fault; that his mother had died because of him. It was a turning point in his young life. His father's words; at the precise age and circumstance when a boy needed a dad the most, had made it very clear he wasn't good enough. It was also in that exact moment in time when Damon started resenting his brother, stopped trying to please his father and instead started to rebel more than ever. After all, bad attention was better than none and after that day, any relationship he'd ever had with Giuseppe had died—dead and buried, just like his beloved mother…

He'd left home the day he turned eighteen with nothing more than a duffel bag stuffed with clothes and a couple of thousand dollars he'd managed to squirrel aside without his father's knowledge. He'd hitchhiked across the country (twice) before settling in Las Vegas where he'd managed to find work as a male escort. It hadn't been all Richard Gere 'American Gigolo' like he'd expected, but he *did* manage to land a couple of very, very wealthy female clients who wanted to take care of him and Damon had taken that money and invested it into a few nightclubs. Within three years, he'd retired from the escorting business and was officially a nightclub owner. With him at the front, meeting and schmoozing the clientele, his clubs did amazingly well and within another year, Damon had made quite a name (and fortune) for himself in Vegas. He then took that money and moved to L.A. He started investing in property there and within another year, he'd tripled his investments. Five years after Damon had left home, he'd become 'officially' wealthy. Then a friend of his suggested he invest in a movie and Damon caught the Hollywood bug. He began producing movies and was doing extremely well with that until a young brunette actress entered his life…

*****D&E*****

"Katherine, I don't understand. If you want Damon so badly, why did you leave him to be with Stefan?"

Katherine looked surprised for a moment that Elena knew she'd been with Damon first, but quickly recovered. "It's complicated, Elena," she sighed.

"'Complicated' is a word people toss out when they don't want to answer a question, Kat." Elena scoffed. "It's not so complicated that you want me to seduce your husband so you can have him now—so it couldn't have been that complicated when you first met him."

Katherine let out another long sigh. "It was and it wasn't." Elena waited as her sister hesitated, gnawing on her bottom lip, before finally speaking again. "When I first met him, I was nineteen, living with some director—Richard," she added as if in afterthought. "My career as an actress had basically consisted of a few commercials and a pilot that failed to ever make it past the pilot stage. Richard suggested I try out for a role in some dreadful B movie he was directing. It turned out, Damon was producing it. I landed the part of course and the day filming was to begin; I met Damon for the first time…" Again Kat paused and a small smile graced her features. "I remember being stunned speechless. He was..." She shook her head, "So stunning. My first thought was, 'My God. This is the most beautiful man I've ever laid eyes on'."

Elena could relate. She'd had the exact same reaction. "And you fell in love with him?"

"Yes," Kat breathed. "Hard and fast."

******D&E******

Damon remembered being captivated with Katherine from the start. She was so bubbly and full of life. The attraction had been instantaneous and intense. By the second day of production they'd ended up in her trailer, by the end of the week, she'd ditched her director (benefactor) boyfriend, and had moved in. He hadn't seen that as cold blooded at the time, in hindsight, maybe he should've, but he'd been so crazy about her, the only thing that mattered was having her with him. It was like she'd come into his life, turned it upside down and opened up a whole new world of feelings he hadn't even known he could feel.

Damon had fallen for her, hard and fast.

******D&E******

"That first week of filming, we could barely keep our hands off each other," Katherine said and Elena squirmed a bit, images of them together floating through her head. "Damon even added a codicil to my contract stating that I needed a half hour break every four hours. He said it was for medication, but really it was because we couldn't go longer than that without touching each other. It was…"

"Overwhelming?" Elena supplied.

"Yeah," Katherine agreed with a soft sigh. "Totally and completely."

"I still don't understand why you ended up with Stefan?"

******D&E******

The night he'd asked her to marry him flitted across his mind…

Damon had planned it perfectly. He'd rented a private jet and flew them to Vegas for the weekend to show her some of his clubs. They'd stayed in the MGM Grand's penthouse suite and on Sunday, he'd closed down one of his clubs for the night and had the chef prepare a special meal for just the two of them. At the end of the night, he'd gotten on one knee and popped the question. Damon remembered that he'd never been so nervous in his life, but (to his relief) she'd accepted, throwing her arms around him and crying as she peppered his face with kisses, telling him how much she loved him. It had been a momentous occasion, one they'd celebrated over and over into the wee hours of the morning, as a matter of fact. The next few months had been spectacular. He was madly in love and, while things weren't perfect with Katherine, he'd still been happier than ever before in his life. But then Giuseppe had become ill and he'd made the (fatal?) mistake of taking her home with him, introducing her to Stefan and showing her how truly wealthy his family was…

******D&E******

"After we became engaged," Katherine said, "Damon changed. It was like his world revolved around me. Everything he did was for me. Any movie he wanted to produce had to have a part in it for me and he spent outrageous amounts of money to please me—"

"What a monster!" Elena said dramatically. "He sounds horrible. I can_ totally_ see why you dumped him now."

Kat rolled her eyes at Elena's sarcasm. "Do you want to hear this or not? You asked and I'm telling you the story, but if you're going to be bitchy about it, we can end this little trip down memory lane right now."

Elena *did* want to hear it. She needed to understand her sister (and) Damon's motivations in this whole scenario. She swallowed her ridicule. "Sorry," she apologized, "go on."

"Like I was saying…he changed and don't get me wrong, I loved it at first." Her face took on a whimsical appearance. "Damon loved me like no one had ever loved me before." Elena frowned; still not seeing the downside as Katherine sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "But it became too much. I think he became obsessed with the idea of me more than_ in love _with me. He spent money like he was growing it in his backyard and he had no other goals except making me into what he thought I should be."

"And that was…?" Elena prompted.

"A movie star. He invested tons of money in movies that were total flops simply because he wanted me in them with him producing."

"He was doing it for you, Katherine, because he was in love with you," Elena replied with a sigh, shaking her head at the sadness of the entire tale. By trying so hard to prove his love for her—Damon had essentially played a crucial part in driving her away. Elena doubted he realized that.

"Yeah, but being an actress was more of a whim than a calling for me, 'Lena. I wanted security." She glanced at Elena. "I'm sure you can understand that. You grew up in the same house I did. You remember the feeling of never knowing if mom and dad were going to have food in the house or just a bottle of booze and a twelve pack. I needed someone who could give me that security, not throw his money away quicker than he was making it."

"Is that why you chose Stefan then…because he had more money?"

"Yes and no," Kat replied. "At first I thought Damon would inherit half of his father's wealth—"

"And when he didn't you dumped him?" Elena interjected; appalled.

Katherine shot her twin a nasty glare. "No. I did not_ dump_ him…" Elena raised a disbelieving brow and Kat hedged. "Well, at least not at first…"

******D&E******

Damon paced the length of the parlor, lost in the past…

Two days after the funeral, the lawyers had shown up and Damon had been informed he'd been cut out of the will. Stefan had offered to rectify that and give him half their father's estate because 'It was the right thing to do.' It was such a Saint Stefan thing to do that it still rankled with Damon. He had, of course, refused. He didn't want anything from Giuseppe that he hadn't earned in his own right, but of course, Katherine had freaked out on him for turning Stefan down, questioning his love for her and his sanity all in one conversation. She couldn't understand him refusing all that money and even told him if he really loved her he'd take the offer—for both of them because it would give them the financial security that he'd lost—investing in her, Damon reminded himself brutally. Needless, to say, it was a huge red flag and Damon would never forget it. It was the first moment he'd started to doubt Katherine's feelings for him.

Cringing from the memory, Damon gulped back the rest of his drink and quickly poured himself another glass. He'd been such a fool. Why hadn't he realized that she didn't really love him before that? If he had, maybe catching her with Stefan a day before they were supposed to leave for L.A. wouldn't have been such a crushing blow…

******D&E******

"He was so sweet, so worried about getting more than his fair share…and I was so upset with Damon and his refusal to take what Stefan had offered that it just happened…we kissed and Damon caught us." Katherine ignored Elena's irate hiss. "Neither of us planned it. It just happened and at the time it felt so right. Stefan felt so right."

"Katherine, how could you?"

"Look, Elena, it wasn't like I didn't beg Damon to see things my way. I did!" Katherine snapped. "Stefan had offered him everything—_everything!_ But he wouldn't even consider it and every time I brought it up, he just shut me out, or accused me of wanting his money more than I did him!"

Elena rolled her eyes. "Well, didn't you?"

"No! I didn't. I wanted him, but he wanted his pride more than he wanted me!'" Katherine took a deep, calming breath and shrugged. "I think that's when I realized I had to start looking out for myself again, like I always do."

"And you decided to go after Stefan?" she asked, revolted at the heartlessness her sister was showing. "My God, Kat, you just…" she waved a hand, "kicked Damon aside because he had principles and wanted to make something on his own instead of taking a handout and instead made a play for his brother because you wanted more money!" She shook her head in disgust. "That's screwed up—even for you."

"It didn't happen like that, 'Lena. Stefan and I had gotten closer in the few weeks I'd been there. There was…a connection with him—one I'd denied because of Damon, but when Damon became unstable, well, I realized Stefan was really the better choice for me. He was stable and secure. He'd never take off on a whim or leave me penniless and alone."

"Oh please, Kat, you were always the daring one—the twin that wasn't scared of anything. I don't believe this for a minute." Elena went to stand up. She was done with this conversation. She'd find another way to help Jeremy. Her sister was far more cold hearted than Elena had ever dreamed and she realized there was no helping someone who only cared about herself. "This is just another excuse for the chaos you've caused and I want nothing to do with it."

"Wait!" Kat said and grabbed her hand, pulling Elena back to her seat on the bed. "You think I was the wild one?" she queried heatedly, her eyes a bit wild. She snorted and answered her own question before Elena had a chance. "Well, I wasn't, Elena. Not by a long shot. You were," she admitted softly and Elena stayed sitting, intrigued at the real emotion exposed in Katherine's eyes. "You were the one who had the guts to go off to war, to fight for what you believed in, while I ran. I'm not brave. I'm not daring. I'm terrified…all the time. Terrified I'll end up like our parents. Terrified I'll end up homeless and hungry again. I need a safety blanket, 'Lena and I'll always choose the safest option for me. It's just the way I'm wired." Her eyes turned hard and determined and the softness Kat had presented a moment before disappeared as quickly as it had come forth. "I'm not like you, Elena. I'll never myself be as vulnerable as we were as kids—never! And if I have to be a bitch to get what I need, then I'll do that to, but it doesn't make me daring. It just makes me determined."

"Then why are you after Damon now?" Elena demanded. "I mean, I've only known him a few days, but I think I can safely say he still isn't the…" She air quoted, "_'safe'_ choice. So why are you doing all this? Why are you taking a chance to destroy the safety blanket you've worked so hard to build?"

"Because he's matured—turned into the man I'd always known he could be and I think now its right for me and Damon." Kat answered simply.

Elena snorted sarcastically. "Or maybe it's because he's filthy rich, doesn't want you anymore and you need to have him because you _can't_ have him."

Katherine shrugged again, but Elena saw the small smirk that curled her sister's lips and wondered briefly if her sister wasn't a little bit like their parent's after all—self-destructive.

"I'll admit, that does add a whole new element to it," Katherine answered truthfully. "Damon has always loved me so much, too much actually, but this new Damon…he's so…ruthless." Her small smirk widened into a lusty smile. "It's really kind of hot."

Elena had to clench her fists to keep herself from shaking her sister senseless! "Oh for Heaven's sake!" Elena hissed in exasperation. "You're too much!" She pulled her hand out of Katherine's grasp and stood up. "You can't keep doing this to them. You'll want Damon until you get him and then you'll want Stefan back and then you'll want Damon again and then Stefan…" She paused and her brow shot up. "You see where this is going, right?"

Katherine glared and raised her chin haughtily. "If I were you I'd remember who came to whom for help, 'Lena."

Elena sighed. "Whatever. I'll find another way, Katherine, but my advice to you would be to let Damon go. You made your choice. You're married to Stefan. Accept it and get on with your life."

"What if I don't want to?" Katherine snapped, crossing her arms over her chest. "What are you going to do—tell him?"

"No. I don't plan on telling anyone anything," Elena answered sadly, reaching for the doorknob of his sister's bedroom door. She paused at the door and turned back to face her twin. "Honestly, I plan on getting as far away from this mess as I can get, but I hope you take my advice, Kat, because it's the only way any of you will be able to put this painful history behind you and leave it in the past…where it belongs," she said before walking out of the room.

******D&E******

Damon couldn't help but laugh at the irony of it all now because he'd gone off to search for her in the first place because he'd actually intended to apologize for the latest fight they'd had about the money…

It was like it'd happened yesterday, because it still burned. He'd went to their bedroom, to the library, the pool looking for her until he'd finally he heard her tinkling laughter coming from down the slope of grass that led to the gazebo down by the pond on the estate. He'd instantly headed in that direction only to be brought up short when he realized Kat wasn't alone in the gazebo. Stefan was there with her and by her body language, Damon knew she was flirting. His heart had seized up. His fiancé' was flirting with his damned brother! He growled low in his throat and headed over to them, intent on confronting them, but before he'd taken more than three steps, they'd leaned in and started kissing! Damon had staggered to a stop, too stunned at what he was seeing to move. His heart had shattered in that instant and he must have made some kind of sound because they both suddenly broke apart and turned to him, each of them wearing varying looks of shock and shame.

Damon remembered pulling together the tattered remains of his dignity as he'd forced a smirk across his face. He'd told Katherine that she was 'finally was getting what she wanted—the wealthy brother' and he'd told Stefan that 'he hoped she ruined him too' before he'd stormed off. He'd thrown his clothes in his suitcases, ignored both Katherine's and Stefan's pleas to let them explain (yeah, as if that'd make it all better?) and called a car service to take him to the airport. In less than two hours after catching them betraying him, Damon was on the first flight out of town—he hadn't even cared where he was going when he'd bought the ticked, he'd simply needed to put some distance between himself and *them*. The flight ended up being to New York and Damon had quickly settled in there. He pulled his money out of his movie projects, sold his properties in California and set to work on getting the first stage of his revenge; learning Big Business and taking Stefan's company from him…one share at a time.

With a start, Damon shook off the painful memories and downed the rest of his whiskey in a single swallow. He didn't regret any of that anymore. Kat was a gold digger, looking for the guy who was going to give her the most money. He known it when she dumped him for his brother, and had intended to prove it when he first began his affair with her, but (to his revulsion) he'd (almost) fallen for her charms all over again. He'd intended for Stefan to find him in bed with his wife, which was, in Damon's opinion, apropos considering he'd caught Stefan making out with his fiancé', but Katherine had started working her voodoo on him again, almost getting him to believe he'd been wrong about her. That they might have a future after all…that is until she'd told him about her idea to divorce Stefan now that he (Damon) had control of the company. She was so gung ho on the plan that she hadn't even noticed Damon tensing up underneath her naked body. She'd gushed over the fact that Damon now had the power to give her everything she'd ever wanted—himself (or his body) and all the money she could want or need.

It had been like a bucket of ice water dumped on his head. She was exactly the same lying, manipulative, scheming bitch he'd remembered and Damon had abruptly excused himself in the need to get away from her. After that—he'd coldly and ruthlessly carried on his affair with her, except this time it was *him* that was in charge. He called the shots on when and where and his *only* goal this time was to hurt her-to break her the way she had him.

And he had—in spades. 'But…' he couldn't help but think, 'the funny thing was, after all his plotting and planning for revenge, the biggest cosmic joke of all, was that he didn't really give a shit anymore about Katherine—but he *did* care about Stefan.'

"Fuck me…" he growled.

Because he was—fucked that is. By seeking revenge with Kat, he'd effectively given the bitch another weapon to destroy him…

He laughed mirthlessly just as Elena walked into the room. He stared at his ex-evil bitch's twin and snorted into his glass.

"Ahh, I see you've survived." He smirked. "So tell me…what nefarious plots did Katherine get you to hatch with her while you were up there for so long?"

Elena had had enough of all the cat and mouse games going on in this house. The best defense was a good offensive attack. She squared her shoulders and faced Damon head on. "Truthfully?" she asked, raising a brow.

Damon nodded, intrigued. "By all means," he said, pouring her a glass of whiskey. He handed her the glass.

"Are you sure you want to hear it? You're not exactly innocent in this whole mess," Elena said, accepting the tumbler.

Damon raised his glass in salute. "Oh, I'm ready. I'm a _huge_ fan of the truth. Didn't you hear? The truth will set you free." He took a healthy swallow before saying, "So what's your truth, Elena? Get it off your chest and set yourself free. I think it'd be refreshing for a change, don't you think?"

Elena shot the entire glass down in one gulp. The liquor burned in her stomach, but it was a good burn and it gave her the added boost she needed. "Fine, you want the truth?" she told him, advancing upon him until they were almost nose to nose. She raised her chin and met his impossibly blue eyes with her own angry brown ones. "Okay, here goes…the truth is Katherine is hell bent on getting you back because you decided to start things up with her again."

"Wait a minute—" Damon started, but Elena held up a hand.

"Oh no. You wanted the truth and I'm not even half way done yet!" she snapped. "The truth is you and her have some sick kind of relationship here and it seems neither one of you care who gets hurt as long as you get your digs in."

"That's not exactly true," Damon defended. "Stefan isn't—"

"I know," Elena interrupted with a slash of her hand. "He's not innocent here either and that's what makes this even more twisted."

She raked an agitated hand through her hair and Damon tilted his head studying her. "So, what's your role in this 'twisted' affair, sweet Elena?" He took a step closer, so that they were nearly belly to belly. "What's_ your_ truth? Tell me and maybe I can…help," he finished softly, his magnetic eyes focused entirely on Elena's supple mouth.

He licked his lips and Elena felt an answering hunger uncoil in her tummy, but she shoved it away, just as forcefully as she physically pushed Damon out of her 'personal space' bubble. "Not likely. Your kind of help is not the kind I need." She shot him a sarcastic smile. "Thanks though."

Damon perused her head to toe. "I'm sorry. Do I make you uncomfortable?" He stalked closer to her, once again invading her personal space. "That's not my intention."

Elena crossed her arms, but held her ground. "Yes, it is." His eyes widened at that and this time it was Elena who closed the last bit of distance between them. "You like to put people on the defensive otherwise you wouldn't put an alternate meaning behind everything you say."

He laughed softly, that cocky smirk pulling one side of his lips upward. "Touché, but…" He leaned down, his lips right near her ear. "So do you," he whispered, his hot breath against the shell of her ear sending chills up and down her spine. "You have ulterior motives here too, Elena, and unless you're willing to confess your own…" He leaned back so that their gazes caught and held. "Don't be so quick to point mine out."

He was right and it flustered her for a moment. "Maybe I do, but mine aren't set out to hurt anyone," she whispered.

"And mine are I suppose?" he asked, blinking his impossibly long lashes at her.

His enticing scent surrounded her and Elena couldn't help inhaling, taking in the delectable aroma of shampoo, Hugo Boss and something spicy and that was uniquely Damon. It sent her senses reeling, and she stumbled back a step, escaping his temptation.

"What are you doing?" she said, trying to calm her racing heart.

"Doing?" he asked, his smirk spreading across his handsome face until he was sporting a grin that looked something akin to the Cheshire cat. "I'm not doing anything, Elena." He leaned in again. "Why? Are you feeling something?" He wriggled his brows. "Something…naughty?" She shoved him away from her again, harder than the last, but this time he was ready for her and barely moved an inch. "You feel something for me, don't you?" he purred, invading her space and forcing Elena to retreat again. He backed her up against the wall, his hard body inches from her own trembling form.

"You want me," he stated, his intense blue gaze locking on hers and holding her captive.

"Excuse me?" she growled, desperately trying to hold her ground and not let him intimidate her.

"You heard me," he smirked. "You want me. I get to you. You find yourself drawn to me." He moved even closer and Elena felt herself falling deeper and deeper under his spell. "You think about me even when you don't want to think about me. I bet you've even dreamed of me," he said seductively, placing a palm flat against the wall beside her head and dipping his own towards her. "And right now…I bet you want to kiss me."

His lips were precious inches from hers, and lowering fast and yet Elena couldn't seem to take her eyes off them. They were so moist looking and she hopelessly tried to find a reason to back away until she felt his soft mouth brush against her own. It was like a bolt of lightning zinged throughout her entire central nervous system. She moaned softly and Damon pressed his lower body firmly against her. His obvious arousal was rubbing hard against her belly as his mouth opened over hers and he kissed her. Elena's head spun and her hands went to his shoulders to keep her knees from buckling.

"Mmmmmm," she whimpered as his tongue massaged hers, causing a terrible and tangible throb between her legs as he kissed her senseless. He was everything and so much more than she'd anticipated. He was magnificent. Like a drug and Elena realized Katherine was right—Damon Salvatore was addicting.

Oh God-she was making out with her sister's ex-lover. That's what finally snapped out of her stupor.

She reared back, tearing her mouth away from his angrily before letting her hand fly and slapping him hard enough to leave his ears ringing into next week.

"What the hell!" she spat at him.

Damon's hand went to his burning cheek and his brows lowered angrily. "I think I should be asking you that!" he fired back.

"Why did you kiss me?"

"Why did you kiss me back?"

Elena glared at his far too handsome face. Oh, he was far more dangerous than she'd ever thought.

"Look, I don't know what kind of game you're playing here, but I don't want to be a part of this whole crazy, twisted thing you've got going with your brother and Katherine! I know what happened in the past, but let's get one thing straight. I. Am-not. My-sister. Got it?"

Damon's cheek still tingled from the smack-down she'd just laid on him, but he couldn't help the smile that curled at his lips as he admired her spunk. "Got it," he agreed, swallowing hard as lust reared its big fat head inside his pants.

"Good," Elena snarled and before he could get to her again, she stormed out of the room.

Damon watched her go, his eyes glued to the curve of her ass. Damn she was even hotter when she was pissed! His pants got even more uncomfortable and he finally looked away and headed right for the bar and another drink.

'No. She wasn't Katherine,' he mused as he poured himself another whiskey, straight up. His eyes went to the doorway she'd vacated and a slow smile appeared on his face. 'She was better—far, far better.'

And just-like-that, Damon was suddenly very interested in making sure Elena remained interested in staying at the Boarding House longer. _Much_ longer actually…

*******D&E*******

**Okay…another chappie and the plot is thickening a bit. I know a lot of you want Katherine to be the big bad ugly here, but I'm not feeling that from musie. All these characters are damaged in some way—including Kat. She's not exactly sympathetic, but she has her reasons and she believes them, just as Damon and Elena do. I'm working on the next one now and Elijah is making his first appearance opposite Damon…now *that* should be interesting—hmm? I loved writing that last scene with D&E—reminded me so much of the sexual tension of season 1 that I had to include certain parts of a scene that I think we all remember—right? I did change it a bit to suit my fic though…**

**Okay, now click the blue button—feed the musie and she'll feed me, 'cause reviews are love and food for the musie, people... :)**


	6. Chapter 6

All's Fair in Love and War

A fic by Jenna

Rating: M

Disclaimer: I own nothing, TVD and it's character are not of my creation...if they were, Damon would never have clothes on! ;)

A/N: Okay... so, I know I have been extremely neglectful in updating…it's been a hell of a 6 months! And on that note, I have decided it is time to come clean about some personal things in my life that affect my writing. I've never divulged this much personal information, so bear with me because this isn't easy. I have bi-polar disorder. It may sound simple to say, but trust me, that's not something I like to talk about because it has caused me a tremendous amount of difficulty in my life. More heartaches than I can count on both fingers *and* toes! But, I have recently realized it's a blessing too. My bi-polar is one of the facets to my personality that make me so creative, but unfortunately, along with that creativity comes the curse of the depression, and there are times when I simply cannot write. I literally have nothing to say and it's all the worse when something traumatic happens in my life-which over the last few months something has. It's not something I can talk about, but any thoughts and prayers sent my way will be greatly appreciated. :) I don't know how this chappie will be received since I have been AWOL for so long and I have not even been on this site in months… (Hope you all haven't forgotten me) God, so many fics I've missed, so many friends' msgs too… I am truly sorry for not responding, but I (like I said) simply didn't know what to say. I can't wait to get caught up on a bunch of my fave fanfics this week! :) I just don't like to read before I post because I don't want another writer's vision to affect my own, if you know what I mean?

Okay, on a positive note—for any of you out there suffering from the same disorder…there is hope. My life is so much better today than it ever has been. Yes, it's still damned hard at times, but whose life isn't in this economy, right? ;) Thank you to all my friends and readers who've pm'd me or LJ msg'd me to see how I am. It means so much. You all are so wonderful…you inspire me to continue my battle with this disorder that wants to cripple me.

Thank you.

Jenna

Okay, now if you've all heard enough about my own personal drama…on with the show, right?

Taking up where we left off in Chappie 5**…**

*******************D&E****************D&E****************D&E******************

"_You want me," he stated, his intense blue gaze locking on hers and holding her captive._

"_Excuse me?" she growled, desperately trying to hold her ground and not let him intimidate her._

"_You heard me," he smirked. "You want me. I get to you. You find yourself drawn to me." He moved even closer and Elena felt herself falling deeper and deeper under his spell. "You think about me even when you don't want to think about me. I bet you've even dreamed of me," he said seductively, placing a palm flat against the wall beside her head and dipping his own towards her. "And right now…I bet you want to kiss me."_

_His lips were precious inches from hers, and lowering fast and yet Elena couldn't seem to take her eyes off them. They were so moist looking and she hopelessly tried to find a reason to back away until she felt his soft mouth brush against her own. It was like a bolt of lightning zinged throughout her entire central nervous system. She moaned softly and Damon pressed his lower body firmly against her. His obvious arousal was rubbing hard against her belly as his mouth opened over hers and he kissed her. Elena's head spun and her hands went to his shoulders to keep her knees from buckling. _

"_Mmmmmm," she whimpered as his tongue massaged hers, causing a terrible and tangible throb between her legs as he kissed her senseless. He was everything and so much more than she'd anticipated. He was magnificent. Like a drug and Elena realized Katherine was right—Damon Salvatore was addicting. _

_Oh God-she was making out with her sister's ex-lover. That's what finally snapped out of her stupor. _

_She reared back, tearing her mouth away from his angrily before letting her hand fly and slapping him hard enough to leave his ears ringing into next week._

"_What the hell!" she spat at him. "Why did you kiss me?" _

"_Why did you kiss me back?" _

_Elena glared at his far too handsome face. He was far more dangerous than she'd ever thought. "Look, I don't know what kind of game you're playing here, but I don't want to be a part of this whole crazy, twisted thing you've got going with your brother and Katherine! I know what happened in the past, but let's get one thing straight. I. Am. Not. My. Sister, got it?"_

_Damon's cheek still tingled from the smack-down she'd just laid on him. "Got it," he agreed, swallowing hard as lust reared its big fat head inside his pants. _

"_Good," Elena snarled and before he could get to her again, she stormed out of the room._

_Damon watched her go, his eyes glued to the curve of her ass. 'No. She wasn't Katherine. She was better—far, far better.' _

_And just-like-that, Damon was suddenly very interested in making sure Elena remained interested in staying at the Boarding House longer; much longer actually…_

**Chappie 6**

"I'm not a coward!"

It was the truth, too. Elena Gilbert did not run in the face of fear. She met it with gusto head on!

She had battled Al-Qaeda soldiers for over six years without blinking an eye, and yet, here she was, hiding in her room, eating her breakfast away from the beauty of the patio she so enjoyed, and all because she was terrified she might run into a certain blue eyed devil outside. He always seemed to turn up every time she had breakfast there…

'_Like a bad penny,'_ she thought irritably. '_A bad, but of-so-beautiful penny that makes your blood hum and your panties wet_,' her traitorous mind whispered.

Elena groaned aloud. The situation and sexual tension between her and Damon had quickly become intolerable. She'd done her best to avoid him, but he always seemed to be under foot, teasing her with his flirtatious glances and 'accidental' brushes of his body against her own. It was maddening and despite her abhorrence for his lifestyle and man-whoring ways, she sensed another side of Damon—a softer, gentler man that wanted to love and be loved; like the one Kat had described when she'd told Elena about her and Damon's previous relationship. Elena sensed he was still in there, buried inside the womanizing ass he appeared to be, and though she was loathed to admit it, the lure of seeing that side of him, kept her coming back for more.

She let out a tired sigh. He'd gotten under her skin, that's for sure, and no matter what she did to dig him out—he only seemed to burrow deeper and deeper.

"Like a damned tick!" she muttered, spreading grape jelly on her toast.

He had her head spinning and her defenses were crumbling like a house of cards; she knew it was only a matter of time before she fell, and it was for_ exactly_ that reason that she had elected on taking her breakfast in her room this morning. Lupe, bless her kind and gentle soul, had indulged her request, delivering a tray to her bedroom promptly at nine am and as Elena sat cross-legged on her bed, munching on her toast and melon, she worried over the situation she found herself in. Something had to give. Between Kat's constant harping on her to seduce Stefan and Damon's constant intention on seducing her—Elena felt the walls closing in and it scared her like going to war never had.

Why she'd ever thought she could pull this off was beyond her? Everything was so screwed up! Elena felt sick to her stomach every time she even thought about fulfilling her end of her deal with Kat and Damon Salvatore was becoming a distraction, a dangerous distraction. Thoughts of him were consuming her and that was something she simply couldn't allow to happen. She had to help Jeremy. That had to be her main objective, not mooning over a man that went through women like Kleenex!

She'd talk to Kat tonight, she decided. She had to follow through with her part in the deal—she really didn't have a choice. Now, if only she could forget all about eyes the color of blue ice, messy raven hair that made her fingers itch to curl themselves into those dark locks, and lips that were simply made to be kissed; she'd be okay.

Elena snorted. "Yeah, right—if only," she said softly.

***************D&E***************

Damon glanced at his watch. Nine fifteen. Elena was usually out here by now. Where was she? He glanced around the patio and gave a short growl in frustration when he didn't spy her long legged, dark haired visage anywhere.

"What the hell?"

She always took her breakfast here and _he_ always enjoyed barging in on her meal, getting her more than a little worked up as he tried to solve the riddle that was Elena Gilbert. Two weeks, and he still hadn't figured out what made her tick. He knew she was here for money—though she hadn't asked—Mason had filled him in on her brother's situation, and a need for money was the only explanation that made sense; and yet, the more he got to know her—the more he decided she wasn't a money-grubbing leech! Damon liked her. And, even more bizarrely, he actually loved that she hadn't dropped her panties with just a smile and a wink! Too many women did, but he was dreadfully bored with those kind of conquests. He needed a challenge. He needed to figure out Elena Gilbert.

"Where the hell is she?" he muttered under his breath, irritated because her going AWOL wasn't a way to do that.

He was about to go and search for her when Lupe came bustling outside with a huge tray in her hands.

Damon sank back in his chair, wiped the look of irritation off his handsome face and turned on the charm, giving the woman a brilliant smile when she set the tray down and handed him a cup of coffee. The dark roasted brew smelled heavenly and he gave a low *mmmmm* of appreciation as he took a sip.

He let out a satisfied sigh. "Ahh, Lupe, you're a treasure. What would I do without you?"

"Suffer with an eternal hangover, no doubt!" she mocked, in her heavily accented voice.

Damon laughed out loud as she began to unload the tray weighed down with plates full of eggs, bacon, sausage, hash-browns, fresh-baked biscuits and homemade country gravy.

His eyes widened considerably at all the food she was setting in front of him—maybe Elena was joining him after all. Or maybe, the Mystic Falls football team was, he honestly couldn't be sure what with all the food.

"Seriously, Lupe—how many people are you trying to feed here?" he asked, gaping at her when she set down yet another plate—one with a huge stack of pancakes piled on it, in front of him.

Sometimes, he swore Lupe was trying to ruin his gorgeous physique with her rich home cooking, but Damon would never dream of insulting her by turning down her offering. She'd been with their family for years and had really been like a second mother to him; especially, after his own had passed away so tragically.

"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and you need your strength," she said, as if that explained her trying to make a glutton out of him.

"For what?" he retorted with a grin, waving a hand at all the food. "War?"

She wagged a finger at him as if instructing a recalcitrant child. "Just because you try, does not mean you can live on a liquid diet—especially when you bring home all those women!"

Damon ignored her dig at his lifestyle. Lupe had made it known a long time ago she didn't approve, but they'd come to an understanding—he didn't ask her to wait on or pick up after his 'guests' and she pretended as if she didn't see them sneaking out in the morning. It had worked out well for them…until now.

"Lupe…" he warned, reminding her with the tone of his voice of their unspoken agreement.

She waved him off, but didn't press the issue further. "Yes, yes, I know, see no evil, hear no evil. Yet, it is still my job to make sure you eat. So eat," she demanded.

Some people might have taken offense at a hired servant talking to them in such a tone, yet Damon knew underneath her stern order was a genuine concern for his well-being and he gave in to her mothering. After all…she had pretty much raised him.

"Alright, I know better than to argue when you're wearing that face—it usually meant spending the afternoon in my room, rather than playing outside," he teased, unfolding his napkin and placing it on his lap.

"Ha! You are forgetting that was only after one of your stunts had nearly given all of us a heart attack!"

Damon chuckled as he spread an exorbitant amount of gravy over his biscuits. "What? I was a normal kid—maybe a little mischievous, but aren't all kids?"

"Yes, because all children see a commercial on starving children in Africa and decide to pack their bags and run off to feed them personally!"

Damon flushed at the memory. He had stayed up late one night watching T.V. (when he wasn't supposed to) and had seen one of those info-commercials to help the children that were going hungry in Ethiopia and it had really gotten to him. So, the next night, after his parents had gone to bed, he'd packed his little suitcase with Apples, oranges, Twinkies, donuts, potato chips and any other accessible food he could get his hands on and snuck out of the house with the grand idea of walking to Africa and feeding those children—he'd been five at the time. The police officer who'd found him walking the streets at four in the morning, suitcase in hand, had called his parents. When he was brought home, his mother had hugged him fiercely, simultaneously praising him for his wonderful heart and scolding him for giving her such a fright.

His father, on the other hand, had shaken his head, called him a ridiculous dreamer and promptly removed the T.V. from his room for nearly a month.

He winked at Lupe even as he stifled the warring emotions the bittersweet memory brought up. "Hey, I wasn't even in kindergarten yet—who knew Africa was so far away?"

Lupe simply raised a brow at him. "Would it have mattered? You've always had the heart to help those less fortunate, Mister Damon…and the courage to see it through no matter the consequences," she added. "Even now, you want to help Miss Katherine's sister, yet the devil in you likes to tease her too." She shot him a sly smile before she added, "I think it is because you like her, si? I have noticed you do not bring home the women like you used to."

Damon nearly choked on the mouthful of food he was chewing. Lupe's assessment was a little too close to home. Damon didn't like it—not one bit. "Hey, just a minute ago I was practically a Saint wanting to help the helpless, but now, I'm the devil?" He clutched a hand to his chest dramatically, as if she'd staked him in the heart. "I'm wounded, Lupe—seriously crushed here!"

Lupe rolled her eyes heavenward as if asking for patience. "Ahh! Madre de Dios, ayude!" she muttered in Spanish. "You don't want to admit it, but you have feelings for her." She met his eyes and Damon felt a wary tingle race up his spine when she said, "She is a nice girl; an honorable girl and much better for you than your brother's wife!"

She nodded her head succinctly, picked up the now empty tray and left before Damon had a suitably snarky reply to that little bomb.

"Well, shit," he muttered, pushing his plate away, his appetite officially gone.

Was Stefan was the _only_ person in the house who _didn't _know Damon had fucked up and slept with his wife?

He shot up from his seat and headed for the house. The kind of guilt that was suffocating him needed something a little more hearty than biscuits and gravy to cut it.

It needed bourbon—and lots of it!

****************D&E****************

Elena had just about finished her breakfast when Katherine flounced into the room, dressed in a flowing black silk robe and wearing an expression that said 'loud and clear' that the elder sibling had woken up on the wrong side of the bed!

"Good, you're up," her twin snapped, without so much as a 'hello or good morning'.

Elena sighed. Great, just what she wanted to start her day off with—a Katherine-style tantrum! Hadn't she fulfilled her quota of those yesterday when her sister had went on and on about Elena not living up to her end of their deal?

"And, good morning to you, too, Kat," she replied dryly, taking a sip of coffee as she mentally prepared herself for another hissy-fit.

Katherine took a stand at the end of the bed and crossed her arms over her bosom, glaring at Elena. "You vindictive little bitch! How could you?" she finally spat.

Elena was stunned at the venom in her sister's words, but gave no outward show of it. Letting Katherine see how badly her barbs hurt was like jumping into a great white shark's tank with a knife wound; never a good idea.

"How could I what?" She asked instead. According to Katherine's bitch session yesterday, it was what Elena _hadn't_ done that was causing all the problems, so Elena was stupefied as to what could she have possibly done in twenty-four hours to set Kat off like this?

Katherine's feature's contorted harshly, marring her beautiful face. "Don't play stupid with me! You think I don't know it was your plan? You're not that clever. I know it was you!"

Actually, Elena did consider herself clever—well, she had until coming to this house, now, she wasn't so sure, but that was beside the point. This house and everyone in it seemed to exist off lies and double talk and since Elena had no desire to play twenty questions to get to the bottom of what her sister was actually accusing her of; she simply sipped her coffee and waited for Katherine to fill in the blanks.

It didn't take long. Unlike Elena, who'd had patience drilled into her by the United States Armed Forces, Kat had the patience of a two year old and quickly dived back into her tantrum full force.

"God, I can't believe you! You're really going to sit there and pretend it wasn't you that gave Stefan the_ brilliant_ idea to take me away this weekend on some kind of second honeymoon?"

"What are you talking about?"

Kat snorted and rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, you may have every man in this house fooled with your 'scout's honor' bullshit, but I know where we came from, Elena, and apples don't fall too far from the tree. Trust me, I know!"

Elena set her cup down with a clang as all the anger she'd been harboring for Katherine reared its ugly head. "First of all, I'm a Corporal in the United States Army, not a Scout! So, don't you dare trivialize the code of honor I learned in the Army! And don't you dare lump me in with you, either. You ran off—I joined the Army and fought for my country—almost died for it too! So, you see apples have choices too, Kat. Look at us, two totally different choices from two apples off the same tree."

Katherine's brows shot up to her hairline. "Well, well, well, the kitten has claws after all…"

Elena stared her sister down. This showdown had been brewing for weeks. "I have more than claws. I have a fully loaded nine mil in my duffel bag, Kat. I suggest you remember that the next time you barge into my room and accuse me of setting you up!"

"Whatever," Kat replied flippantly with a wave of her hand, "Like you're really going to shoot me?" She rolled her eyes, "please. We both know you don't have it in you, 'Lena."

Elena wanted to deny it and say 'Yes she did!' but the simple truth was, she didn't. She wasn't cold and heartless like her sister.

Katherine nodded and made an *mm-hmm* sound. Elena clenched her fists at how superior that little noise sounded.

"Okay, so if you didn't set up this little trip, then Stefan actually did and that'll never do either." Kat leveled hard eyes on her twin. "We have a deal and it's time you start living up to your end of it."

Elena had to hand it to her sister, she sure as hell had balls of brass to be standing there demanding her own sister to seduce her husband so that she could have coitus-un-interrupt-us with said husband's brother! Everything in Elena rebelled at the very idea and yet, she'd made the bargain, but…somewhere in the back of her mind she supposed she'd hoped Katherine would see the error of her ways and see this plan of hers for the ludicrous idea that it was and give up on it.

She should have known. Katherine always got what she wanted—no matter what. Still, it hurt.

"You know," Elena said with a shake of her head, "do you realize that you've never asked me how I'm dealing with post war stress? Soldiers come home daily with PTSD and yet, you've never once asked me if I'm handling things okay," she said softly, blinking back a sudden onslaught of unwanted and utterly futile tears. "Instead, you're putting me in a terrible position here and all because you want to get groiny with Damon again? Do you even care how this is affecting me, having to choose between my brother and my morals?"

"Honestly, I haven't because…" The elder sibling paused and for a moment Elena thought she wouldn't finish that sentence, but then Kat came and sat down at the foot of the bed. Eyes, identical to Elena's own doe brown orbs stared back at her intently. "Because I learned a long, long time ago to depend on no one but myself to survive and if that meant flipping the switch to some of the softer emotions—"

"Like compassion?" Elena interjected.

Kat nodded. "Sometimes," she replied with a shrug. "But I did what I had to do to survive."

Elena stared, jaw hanging. Was Kat seriously comparing survival to wanting to jump Damon? "How does survival have anything to do with what you're asking me to do?"

Katherine looked away and didn't answer at first, but after a moment she turned back to her sister and for the first time in a very long time, Elena saw real emotion on her sister's face. "I love him," she whispered. "I thought I didn't anymore. I truly wanted it to be Stefan. He's the safer, better choice, he feeds my soul, but Damon…" Kat paused and wet her lips. "Damon is a fire inside that consumes me. He makes me feel wild, and crazy and alive! What am I supposed to do, Elena? I love them both. I _need _them both. I don't have a choice and if I don't have a choice—you don't have a choice. Sorry, but I'll always choose me."

Elena honestly couldn't believe Katherine did not realize how selfish and cruel that was. "But you do have a choice—maybe not an easy one, but you still have one."

"Oh really, and what choice is that, oh wise one?"

Elena ignored the sarcasm in her sister's voice. "You let one of them go. You let Damon go. He's not the one you chose to marry," she pointed out softly.

Katherine's eyes narrowed and she snorted indelicately. "Oh, you'd like that, wouldn't you? You'd like me to just bow out and leave him to you!"

"What are you talking about? This has nothing to do with me, at least not yet."

"Oh, give me a break, Elena!" Kat snapped, jumping to her feet. "You think I haven't seen the way you look at Damon?" Elena started to shake her head in denial, but Katherine went on, spewing out her venomous words with deadly accuracy. "Please, you're like a bitch in heat whenever he's in the same room with you!"

Elena flushed deeply at the crude term. "That's not true! I—"

Katherine cut her off with a vicious slash of one manicured hand. "Look me in the eye and tell me you don't want him," she challenged, "and maybe I'll believe you."

Well, that was simple enough. One itty-bitty lie and Katherine's rant would end, but to Elena's dismay, she found the words stuck in her throat. Her eyes darted away from her sister's malicious gaze and her shoulders slumped when Katherine let out a victorious, "I knew it!"

"I don't want to…"

"But you do," Katherine finished.

Elena gave a small, imperceptible nod.

"Well, too bad! Damon's mine, Elena, and the quicker you get that through your head the quicker you can get on with our deal and save Jer from Klaus and Elijah." Katherine's voice softened. "And that's what you really came here for, right—to save Jeremy? Not hook up with Damon."

Elena again gave a miserable little nod. All her bravado from earlier seemed to fade away in the face of Katherine's determination to force Elena in between the rock and the hard place she already found herself in.

Katherine smiled for the first time since entering the room. "Good. Now, here's how this is going to go…you're going away with Stefan this weekend."

Elena's head snapped up and she gasped. "No, Kat—"

But Katherine didn't even pause. "Yes. You'll go with Stefan _pretending_ to be me; while_ I_ stay here with Damon, pretending to be you." Kat's smile was crafty. "See? It's simple really."

"You've got to be kidding me! That'll never work."

"Oh, it better work. Or, I'm sending you packing. I'll even tell Stefan and Damon that you came here to blackmail me into giving you money. They'll throw you out, Jeremy will end up on the wrong end of Klaus's gun and then where will you be? It'll be like you pulled the trigger yourself!"

Elena could not believe the ugly words flowing from her sister's mouth. Each word was like a pointed needle stabbing at her heart. "How can you say that? Jeremy is your brother too. How can you talk about him dying so easily?" She waved a hand. "What's wrong with you?"

Katherine snorted. "You don't have enough time for _that_ conversation, Elena. You need to get packed" Elena let out a strangled sound of desperate abhorrence and Katherine sighed. "Look at it this way, 'Lena…you play your part this weekend and everyone gets what they want. I get Damon back. You get a fabulous weekend in Barbados and Jeremy gets off the hook with Elijah. It's a win all around, so get off your high moral horse and just do what you agreed to do when I let you stay here and everything will work out in the end. Okay?"

The imaginary noose around Elena's neck tightened and finally she nodded numbly. "Fine. I'll go."

"Good." Katherine headed for the door, but paused at the doorway, her hand on the knob. "Oh, and Elena, just so we're clear…if you fuck this up, I will throw you to the wolves. You'll be out on your ass and Jeremy will most likely end up dead." She tilted her head, studying Elena for a moment. "Are we clear?" she asked, her hard brown pinning Elena where she sat.

Elena wanted to throw up, but she refused to let Katherine see her lose control like that. So, she numbly swallowed back her bile and nodded. "As crystal," she said softly.

To Elena's horror, Katherine beamed and gave a small clap of her hands. "Excellent! I'll bring you my set of Louis Vuitton luggage in a bit." She glanced sideways at Elena's army bag and made a face. "You certainly can't get Stefan to believe you're me carrying that ratty old duffel bag. That's for sure!" And with that, she turned on her heel and breezed out of the room, seemingly without a care in the world, as if she hadn't just left her sister with the ultimatum of saving her brother's life or losing her morals.

Elena watched her go with a sickening sense of dread and as soon as the door shut, she jumped up from the bed, rushed into the bathroom and threw up the breakfast she'd fought so hard to eat in peace. As she emptied the contents of her stomach, Elena couldn't help but think this was going to end badly, but she really didn't see any other way out of the mess she'd gotten herself into…

******D&E******

Elijah Första was a man who liked order, appreciated the finer things in life and expected the worst out of people. Everyone lies, was his motto, so, it wasn't a surprise when he discovered Elena had lied when she'd said she didn't know where her sister was. What _had_ surprised him though was discovering that the faithless Katarina Gilbert was now Katherine Salvatore—pampered wife of the billionaire recluse Stefan Salvatore. Elijah poured himself a two-fingered shot of bourbon and smiled. Her husband's desire to spend his time in a hospital ward with sick and dying children, rather than showing her off to the masses must piss Katarina off to no end. She'd always thrived on having the commoners groveling at her feet. He was pretty sure she hadn't changed all that much in six years—after all, she had tried to become an actress a few years back. He'd almost had her then, but she'd disappeared just as quickly as she'd appeared in Hollywood and once again, Elijah had been thwarted in his attempt to make her pay for nearly destroying him and his brother.

He chuckled softly. It was funny actually, because if Elena hadn't shown up, he'd have never known that Katarina was now a very, very wealthy woman. She could pay for her sins in a variety of ways now. He decided for that revelation alone, he owed Elena a pass. He wouldn't kill Jeremy. After all, having the boy as leverage and Elena indebted to him might prove far more valuable than sending one, quick violent message to the dregs of society he did business with. Those people he already had by the throat—he wanted his hands around Katarina's throat and being nice to Elena seemed the easier, softer way to get what he wanted.

He heard a grunt come from behind him and Elijah raised his eyes to the mirror behind the bar. From his view, Elijah could see his brother in a back booth, getting a freebie from one of the waitresses who worked for them. He rolled his eyes. Nik's impulsiveness would always keep him a 'live for the moment' kind of guy, whereas, Elijah's constant second-guessing made him the 'big-picture' man. Nik's wild and crazy ways frustrated Elijah to no end, but his brother's lack of constraint complimented Elijah's need to overthink things at times.

They were an imperfect, yet potent team.

He folded and then tucked the dossier that held Katarina's information into his inside jacket pocket before he called his brother over. "Klaus, a moment of your time, please…"

Klaus gave a soft growl as he gripped the girl's hair in one hand and thrust hard and fast into her mouth. "A little busy here, 'Lijah," he answered back, his voice a bit breathless. "Give me a moment, will you?"

Elijah knew without a doubt if he told his brother what he now held tucked in his jacket, he'd yank his cock out of the woman's mouth and be at the bar quicker than a blink of an eye, but he'd also want to go right after the bitch and Elijah wasn't ready to have Niklaus on a rampage just yet. When the time was right-they'd have their revenge on Katarina, but it would have to be played smart and Nik had a tendency to act first, think later. His level of violence had its place in their business, but not in this situation.

"Well then, when you're done brother, a word please," he said and waited patiently, sipping his drink until he heard his brother grunt and push the girl off him.

Elijah watched as Klaus cupped the young brunette's cheek. "That was marvelous, darling." He smirked. "Now get your sweet ass back to work before I decide you weren't that good after all."

The girl wiped her mouth, nodded and scurried away with a look of shamed mortification stamped across her pretty face.

Elijah sighed. It was a wonder they kept any of their help with the way Nik treated them! "Klaus, if you're done scaring off the help, would you mind sparing me a moment of your precious time?"

Klaus got to his feet and zipped up before swaggering over to the bar where Elijah was waiting. He flashed a grin. "What? It's not like there's not ten more to take her place."

Elijah raised a brow and retorted, "That's not the point and you know it. How do you suppose we're to keep good servers when you're constantly making them quit?"

Klaus snorted and reached over the polished wood of the bar to grab a bottle of scotch and a shot glass. "Trust me," he said, pouring the amber fluid into the small glass. "She isn't that good a waitress and she's even worse at sucking cock." He picked up the drink and shot it back in one gulp before placing the glass back on the bar with a soft hiss. "So, really," he asked, turning to level his blue eyes on Elijah's unflappable face. "What is your issue, brother? Because I know it involves something more than me indulging myself with the help in a back booth…"

******D&E******

Damon knew he was drunk before he even headed up the stairs to Elena's room, but the alcohol had lowered his inhibitions just enough (in his mind) to excuse him his behavior. When he got to her door, he gave a short rap before entering without being invited.

"Elena, we need to talk…" he said, but halted dead in his tracks when he saw what she was doing. She was packing, which meant she was leaving.

Why did that suddenly make him feel like he was suffocating? He shoved the feeling aside. Why did it surprise him? Everyone left him eventually—even his own mother had left him. Why would Elena be any different?

His walls came down in an instant and that infamous smirk graced his lips as he eyed the boy shorts and bras Elena had in her hands. "Going somewhere?"

Elena stifled the urge to cringe—or kiss him, either one was bad at this point!

"I don't remember saying come in," she replied instead, keeping her cool despite the fact that she felt sick to her stomach about the scheme she was playing a part in.

Her flippant reply grated on his nerves and Damon responded in kind. "And I don't remember asking."

His eyes honed in on the thongs, tiny boy shorts and lacy bras she held in her hands and, as quickly as it arrived, the panic he was feeling disappeared as his imagination ran wild picturing her in a particular racy red bra and panties set she was holding.

"Nice. Going somewhere naughty?" he asked, letting his eyes drift from the sexy lingerie down her body and finally back up to her face.

Elena flushed beet red under his intense scrutiny, but refused to let him get to her as she threw the undergarments into Kat's huge suitcase. Katherine had made it abundantly clear—Damon was off limits. Elena needed him out of here and pronto!

Even if it made her feel all kinds of bad to do so.

"I'm a little busy, Damon. Did you come up here just to get a peek at my underwear? Or, did you have an actual reason to invade my privacy?"

Damon couldn't help but smile. Her chin was tilted up at a pugnacious angle, ready to do battle with him and he loved it! She was a tiger and damn it all if he didn't feel the urge to tame her just a bit.

"Oh, I have a reason, alright," he growled as he stalked across the room. "And getting a glimpse of your underwear was just a perk." Suddenly he realized she wasn't packing her unmentionables into her own bag. She was using Katherine's. He frowned at the bag and his eyes flew back up to Elena's.

"So…" he commented, staring at her with those fathomless, icy blue eyes, "not only were you leaving without saying goodbye…you're stealing your sister's suitcases?" He made a *tsking* sound. "Bad form, Elena, really, I thought a soldier was supposed to have honor, not behave like a common thief."

Elena felt her stomach lurch and her brain went into hyper-drive. This was bad! How was she going to explain packing her own things right now, when later she was supposed to be playing Katherine leaving with these very same bags?

Elena fell back on the courage she'd always used when times got tough. Her chin raised a notch as she stared him down. "I really don't see how what I pack my things in is any of your business and besides—I'm not packing for me…I'm packing for Katherine," she said, as an idea formed. It was ridiculous, really—but it was all she had right then. "She's going on a second honeymoon with Stefan and since he pretty much dropped this on her, last minute—she didn't have time to shop. She wants to surprise him with some new lingerie and so she's using mine."

She spun on her heel and headed back across the room to the dresser. "Now, if that satisfies your curiosity…" she tossed over her shoulder, "would you mind leaving? Because I have a lot to do and I don't need an interrogation while I'm doing it!"

Damon wasn't having it. Her story sounded wrong and his suspicious nature kicked in. "Why would Katherine—major clothes horse extraordinaire—want to borrow your panties, Elena? I'm pretty sure—" Memories of the hundreds of sets of bra and panties sets Kat owned flashed in his head and he snorted. "No, I'm absolutely sure your sister has enough lingerie to last her through the next millennium. She doesn't need yours."

He reached out and grabbed her by the arm, halting her from packing. "So, tell me the truth. Why're you _really_ packing all your naughty unmentionables?"

"Let me go," she huffed, trying to maintain her decorum.

He was too close. He smelled too good. Elena needed him gone because she was terrified if he stayed in her room for another moment, she'd do something really, really stupid. Like give in to the heat she felt between them.

"Damon, I really don't care what conspiracy theories you've cooked up…the fact is…my sister asked to borrow some of my things and I'm lending them to her. Simple as that." She glanced down to where he was gripping her arm. "Now…if you want to keep that hand, I suggest you let me go; if not, I'll remove it for you. And, I can promise you it'll be the kind of pain you won't enjoy…"

Damon's lips twitched at the fierceness in her tone—she was seriously ready to do him in. He'd already been on the receiving end of Elena's violence and honestly, the idea of getting her so fired up excited him to no end, but he ignored the way his cock went all kinds of stiff. It should be embarrassing to his alpha-male pride that the idea of Elena dominating him turned him on so damned much! He was just buzzed enough to not give a shit anymore.. He wanted her and just like that, all his carefully laid plans and restrictions he'd placed upon himself went out the window. He hadn't wanted anyone like this in…well, maybe forever and dammit! He was going to have her.

His hands on her finally sent Elena into a panic as her brain registered the danger. Katherine would have a brain aneurism were she to catch them. Elena's heart rate jacked up as fear overcame the tingly goodness of Damon touching her. She yanked her arm out of his grasp and took several hasty steps back, determined to escape him and his intoxicating presence.

"Damon, don't!"

The alcohol in his system made him recklessly bold as he gripped her upper arms in both hands and pulled her back, spinning her to face him. "You want this as much as I do," he said, stepping forward until they were face to face, belly to belly; every inch touching. He groaned softly. "God, you feel so good."

Elena whimpered softly as his erection pressed urgently against her belly. She couldn't seem to drag her eyes away from his lips and in those moments, time seemed to stop as the air around them grew so thick you'd need a chainsaw to cut through the tension surrounding them.

"No…" Elena whispered just as Damon muttered "Fuck it!"

He lowered his head and captured her lips in a kiss that rocked them both. Elena knew with every ounce of her being that she should shove him away, but he tasted so, so very, very good. She moaned into his mouth as his tongue slipped between her lips to engage her own in a lusty duel for dominance. Elena's fingers finally got a chance to curl into his soft dark hair and she held on for dear life as she was literally kissed senseless.

'Oh God…this is really going to end badly!' was her last reasonable thought before her brain shut down and she gave into the passion she'd felt brewing ever since laying eyes on him.


	7. Chapter 7

**All's Fair in Love and War **

**A fic by Jenna**

**Rating M**

**A/N: Thank you for the wonderful welcome back. I Have to be honest, I was seriously stressed about posting because I had been away so long. Yes, I 've lost some readers, but I expected as much. I've been AWOL for almost six months…I hope this fic finds it's fan-base again, but no matter what—I am so-so-*so* enjoying being able to write again. Let me tell you, a few months ago, that *was* impossible! So YAY!**

**Now…on with the show… **

**We'll start where we left off. Mmmm…I think it was some*hot* DElena action right?**

**As if I write anything else! Lol! Though with this one I *am* trying to have a plot. :)**

**Jen.**

***************D&E***************

"_Damon, don't!"_

_The alcohol in his system made him recklessly bold as he gripped her upper arms in both hands and pulled her back, spinning her to face him. "You want this as much as I do," he said, stepping forward until they were face to face, belly to belly; every inch touching._

_Elena whimpered softly as his erection pressed urgently against her belly. She couldn't seem to drag her eyes away from his lips and in those moments, time seemed to stop as the air around them grew so thick you'd need a chainsaw to cut through the tension. _

"_No…" Elena whispered just as Damon muttered "Fuck it!" _

_He lowered his head and captured her lips in a kiss that rocked them both. Elena knew with every ounce of her being that she should shove him away, but he tasted so good. She moaned into his mouth as his tongue slipped between her lips to engage her own in a lusty duel for dominance. Elena's fingers finally got a chance to curl into his soft dark hair and she held on for dear life as she was literally kissed senseless._

'_Oh God…this is really going to end badly!' was her last reasonable thought before her brain shut down and she gave into the passion she'd felt brewing ever since laying eyes on him._

**Chappie 7**

Damon kept his mouth fused to hers as he maneuvered her toward the bed. His lust addled brain couldn't think past the one and only thought surging inside his head—he had to have her—now!

The backs of Elena's knees hit the bed and she fell, landing on the soft, silken comforter. She'd barely registered her surprise at her new position before Damon was levering himself over her, on top of her, kissing her with a skill that could only be borne from hours upon hours of practice.

Elena's arms wrapped themselves around his back and she scraped her nails along the flexing muscles she found there as she clung to him, lost in the swirling passion he inspired.

It was just as mindless for Damon. She consumed him, her very touch seemed to set him ablaze. Her nails raking his back made him hiss in pleasure; he'd wanted her from the second he'd set eyes on her and if he didn't have her right this minute, he might just combust on the spot!

"Elena," he sighed, as he trailed a fiery path of soft, wet kisses across her cheek to her ear, "I want you. It feels like I've always wanted you."

Elena's sensible side was screaming at her to stop this madness, but his hot breath along the shell of her ear sent shivers racing up and down her spine and made that sweet, secret spot between her legs throb with unfulfilled desire.

"I know," she whimpered, shuddering dramatically when he took the lobe of that ear between his teeth and nibbled gently. "I feel it too."

"I don't want to fight it anymore," he gritted out, using a knee to spread her legs further before settling himself between the cradle of her thighs. Elena moaned at the hard evidence of his arousal as it jutted against her own aching need. She'd never been a quick and easy kind of girl, but something about him just made all her inhibitions, morals and even common sense just fly out the window. The only thing that remained was need; sweet, burning, delicious, absolutely mindless need, and she bucked her hips under him, silently letting him know what it was she wanted.

He countered that move with one of his own, pumping his erection against her jean clad core in an erotic simulation of what he had in store for her.

"Oh God!" Elena gasped, already shockingly close to climaxing.

It _had_ been a long time for her. Six years as a matter of fact, but…still, he'd barely touched her and she was already seeing stars! She desperately needed to feel more of him, so her hands went to his shirt, eager to get at all that delicious male flesh she knew was hidden beneath the silk of his button down.

Would his skin be as smooth as it looked or would he be hard like his leanly muscled physique suggested?

In her impatience, she fumbled with the buttons, tearing a few off in the process, but he simply growled and shrugged his shoulders, silently aiding her in her mission to get him naked. Elena gave an *mmm* of appreciation for his assistance, especially once the cloth barrier was gone and she could finally slide her hands along the contoured plains of his muscled chest and abs. Her fingers trembled as she reached out to touch the solid wall of his chest. He had an amazing body. And to her sensory pleasure, he _was_ as exactly hard as she imagined, but soft too.

Oh-so-soft.

"God..." she breathed. His skin was like velvet covered steel.

He gave her that panty-dropping smirk and Elena was more than ready to get in line to drop hers too. "Mmmm, I love being worshipped, but you can call me Damon."

Normally she would have slapped the taste out of his mouth, but this time Elena didn't even pause to chastise. She'd had a taste of what he had to offer and now she wanted everything he had to give. Without thinking, she went to work on his belt, quickly unbuckling it so she could get to the buttons keeping his most prized possession prisoner. In for a penny-in for a pound and if judging by the size of the erection pressed against her—Damon was a solid pound of amazing sex on legs!

When she took the initiative and made a move on his jeans, Damon was at first surprised, but he quickly learned to appreciate an aggressive Elena when her hand reached inside his jeans and rubbed along the shaft of his straining cock. His eyes rolled back for a moment and for that brief second, he was putty in her hands as she petted him through his boxer/briefs. But, then he remembered two had to be playing this game and not to be outdone, he slipped his hands under the back of her shirt and with a deft flick of his thumb and forefinger, he had her bra unclasped, freeing her breasts from the lace fortress holding them captive.

Just as Damon slid his palms up her ribcage to cop his first feel of Elena's nubile breasts, Elena slipped her hand inside Damon's boxers to take hold of his erection, giving him a solid stroke up and down the silken length of his shaft while his thumbs slid along the turgid tips of her nipples.

"Fuck!" Damon gasped and Elena echoed those sentiments exactly as their simultaneous moans blended together when they shared the discovery of unchartered flesh for the first time. It was even better than either of them had imagined, and while both wanted to culminate the act ASAP, the anticipation of finally getting together was just as exciting.

It couldn't be rushed.

Damon hiked her tank up, exposing her breasts to his hungry gaze for the first time. He sucked in a haggard breath, visually feasting on the perfect bounty before him. Some might say he'd been with Kat a thousand times, so seeing Elena wasn't new territory, but those people would be fools. There was a spark in Elena—a light—a sparkle even, (call it silly) but whatever it was—it was something Katherine had lost a long, long time ago; long before Damon had met her.

Damon ogled her nudity licking his lips at her glowing perfection.

"Jesus…you're beautiful," he breathed, shuddering under her touch like he was fifteen again; getting some for the first time ever with Tammy Sue Barnett in the back seat of her daddy's Caddie.

Damon hadn't felt that way in years-not even in his first months with Katherine…and he'd been head over heels for the bitch at that time! And…it was at _that_ thought—he shut down his brain. He did _not_ want to compare Elena with her predatory sister. They were nothing alike. It was like comparing apples and oranges. They were both fruits, but, they were in no way shape or form, the same.

Elena glanced away shyly as his eyes devoured her. She felt so naked, but, at the same time, the way he was looking at her—it made her feel so incredibly desirable. She felt bold, powerful and honestly, she'd never felt sexier than she did at that moment. It gave her the courage to respond in kind.

"Not as beautiful as you are…you're…" She floundered for the perfect word to describe Damon's beauty; there were none. He was simply too perfect, but telling him that seemed so cliché and Elena didn't do cliché. Her gaze drifted over his fabulous physique and she finally settled for, "Spectacular," but even as she said it, she admitted that even that word didn't really do him justice.

She moaned softly as his hand slid inside her jeans to cup her sex. His fingers slipped her panties to the side and then they were right there—where she needed them most and *God*! Her eyes fluttered. It was so damned good! His tongue fluttered around first one nipple and then the other while his fingers worked their magic south of the equator and Elena exploded like a NASA shuttle at take off!

"Oh…God…" she panted, euphoric as she floated down from the proverbial cloud nine and the amazing orgasm he'd just given her. She cracked open one eye and gazed at him hazily. "I knew this would be a mistake," she muttered tossing her arm over her eyes. "You're going to become an addiction aren't you?"

Damon chuckled, but Elena wasn't kidding. She was now abundantly aware of just how alluring he was and just-like-that, Elena understood Katherine's motivation far better. If Damon could make her body sing soprano with just his fingers…Elena couldn't even imagine what he'd do with that weapon he had in his pants.

No wonder Kat was hooked. Elena almost—almost sympathized, but then again—Kat had chosen to let Damon go.

Almost as if her thoughts had conjured her sister up, (and Elena seriously wondered if they had) a sharp rap sounded on the door just then Katherine's voice was heard through the wood separating the room and the hallways beyond.

"Elena," Kat called, jiggling the knob and causing both Damon and Elena to freeze as their gazes whipped to the doorway where they fully expected Katherine to invade at any second.

"Oh God!" she gasped, sheer terror gripping her as the tentacles of her fear over Katherine's reaction to catching her like this slithered inside her gut, twisting and wrenching her insides until she gagged and shoved Damon off her; utterly desperate to put as much distance between them as possible before her sister walked in.

Randy as a teenager with his first girl, yet utterly stunned at this turn of events, it took Damon a moment to get his bearings. He sat up on his elbows, eyes widening as Elena scurried away from him like a cockroach when you flip on the lights. Why the hell was she so freaked out? It was only Kat, but…as he watched Elena fall off the bed and land on her ass with an *oomph* in her haste to get away from him, he realized that while he might not care if Kat found them, it was obvious Elena did.

"Elena, calm down…" he said, while he carefully (and painfully) tucked his (still raging) cock back into his pants and zipping up.

But, Elena wasn't listening. She was running on sheer panic. She leaped to her feet, snatched him up by the hand and literally dragged him off the bed and into her walk in closet, shutting and locking the door after them.

Her overreaction to Katherine's appearance had his suspicions rising all over again. "Elena, why are you so—?"

"Sssshhhh! She'll hear you!" she hissed, placing a finger over his lips to keep him quiet. Her heart was racing at getting caught half naked with Damon in her room. And, as Katherine knocked again, Elena couldn't help but wonder why wasn't her sister just storming in like she always did? And then it clicked, the door was locked. Elena's body almost wilted in relief.

"Thank God…" she said very softly, swallowing down the sickening realization of what had almost just happened. She'd almost got caught—literally—in flagrante with Damon on top of her. If that door hadn't been locked…Elena didn't even want to think about the hissy fit Kat would have thrown. The shit would have hit the fan for sure!

When the pounding stopped, Damon removed her finger from his mouth. "What's going on, Elena? Why are we hiding in here? And why do you care so much if Katherine hears me in your room?" he growled, "It's not like me and Kat are an item. She_ is_ married to my brother…remember?"

Elena glared right back, snorting at his obliviousness to the seriousness of the situation—even if you ignored Kat's blackmail scheme—Damon and Katherine_ were_ once 'an item'.

"Seriously?" she scoffed. "And you don't think she'd be at all upset at seeing her ex-lover with her sister?" Elena rolled her eyes. "C'mon Damon, even you're not that cold-blooded. Katherine still wants you—we both know that, so don't play stupid with me! Catching us would set her off and…" Elena bit her lip as she willed her body to settle down. His close proximity and the adrenaline rush of almost getting caught was wreaking havoc on her senses.

"And…?" Damon prompted, stepping closer; seeing this adjourn in the closet as a way to not only get what he wanted from her physically, but maybe he could finally get some answers to the nagging questions he had for her too. "What would she do?" He teased. "Glare us to death? Make snippy comments until our ears bled?" He cupped her face and stared down at her with his intense blue eyes. "It's not like she can really say anything, Elena. She married my brother."

He'd said those words as a way to tease Elena into relaxing her guard, but to Damon's surprise, it didn't hurt to say them anymore. Katherine and Stefan didn't hurt anymore. As a matter of fact, the only thing that hurt right now was his stiff prick and the guilt he still harbored over doing his brother dirty. He almost smiled when he didn't even flinch as he added, "Katherine made her choice a long time ago, Elena, and now, I'm making mine. Stefan can have Kat. I hope they can finally be happy together, truthfully. I want the other sister." He ran his thumb along the plump bottom half of her lush lips. "I want you."

Elena wanted so badly to believe it was really that simple, but it wasn't. It was far more complicated than what she or he wanted. Katherine's earlier words flashed through her head and Elena knew what she had to do. But, first things first; she had to escape the confines of this closet. It was actually a very decent sized walk-in, but sharing the space with Damon made it seem to dwindle in size and having his far too tempting body within a two foot radius of her own was very bad for her equilibrium.

Elena pushed him away, unlocked and opened the door and made her escape. Damon followed after her, but she held him off as she slipped a t-shirt over her head, covering her body from his penetrating eyes. She needed to have a clear head and having him look at her with that hungry blue gaze and giving her that 'eye-thing' he did would make it impossible to follow through with what she was about to do.

She kept her thoughts centered on Jeremy as she said, "And what about my choice—don't I get a choice here?"

Damon's brow shot up. "Are you actually going to sit here and tell me you don't want me as badly as I want you?"

Elena wouldn't dream of it actually. Not only would he laugh in her face, (hello, she'd been inches away from having sex with him) but it wouldn't further 'the plan' either. So, she told him the truth. "No. I think we both know that I want you." Elena let her eyes roam his body for a moment and her pulse accelerated and that slow, deadly throb began again between her legs. Her voice was husky as she admitted. "Actually, I can't remember wanting anyone or anything as much as I want you."

Damon was in front of her in an instant. His hands gripped her upper arms as he hauled her up against his body. "Then why are you so afraid of Kat finding out?" Something in her expression must have given her away because Damon's whole body tensed and he shook her as all the 'real' questions he wanted answers to poured forth, invading Elena's senses, breaking down her barriers and penetrating her line of defenses. "Elena, why are you really here? What does Kat have on you and does it have anything to do with your brother's situation with Elijah and Klaus Första?"

Elena's eyes widened and she gave a small whimper that was part actual pain (she could almost _feel_ the bruises forming from his grip) and part fear because he was so close to the truth. How did he know? Why did he care? And, more importantly—what was she going to do about it? It was on the tip of her tongue to just spill the whole nasty story out, but Katherine's reaction to that happening put the brakes on her confession. Instead she answered his question with one of her own.

"What do you know about Jeremy?"

"I know that he's in trouble with some very bad guys." Elena opened her mouth to reply, but Damon didn't give her the chance. Instead, he went on—it was time to get some answers. "_And_…I also know that your sister was involved with those same guys before she took off for California. I know that you met up with Elijah before you showed up here and I'm pretty sure you're looking for money from Katherine to get baby bro out of the jam he's in." He paused and his eyes locked with hers. "Does that about cover it?"

Elena swallowed thickly. Okay, he knew a hell of a lot obviously! She tried to shrug it off as if it was nothing, but inside she was quaking. Damon was far too perceptive and she'd never been a good liar-that had always been more her sister's forte-but she couldn't tell him the truth either. She knew he'd confront Elijah head on and she couldn't get him mixed up with the Första brothers. They killed people who got in their way, and Elena could definitely see Damon presenting himself as 'one *huge* roadblock' if he decided _she_ was a cause worth fighting for.

She used her Army training to get her heart rate under control-being trapped under enemy fire for hours on end had made it essential for her to learn how to deal with stressful situations and this was quickly turning into one. Maybe there weren't bullets flying, but Damon was just as deadly to her in other ways and she was desperate to keep him at bay; yet she showed none of that desperation as she yanked herself out of his grasp.

"So now you know my big secret," she told him, schooling her features to remain cool, calm and detached. "I came here to ask me sister for money to get our brother out of trouble. Big deal." She paused and hiked a brow at him, hoping he'd take her snarky-sarcasm at face value and just leave. "Got a problem with that?"

Damon rolled his eyes at her flippant reply. He'd gotten to know her a bit better since she'd been here. He wasn't buying her bullshit. "Not at all," he said, giving a nonchalant shrug even as he watched her face like a hawk. "As a matter of fact; I'm wondering why Kat hasn't just given you the money already…"

If Damon wouldn't have been paying such close attention, he'd have never noticed when Elena's face changed. It was there, and then gone so fast, that he almost believed he'd imagined it_. But,_ he _was_ paying attention, so therefor, he caught the slight grimace of distaste that washed over her features for that brief second and it was that look that Damon zeroed in on.

"Which leads me to question of why hasn't she, Elena?"

Elena glanced away. Damn him and his piercing blue eyes.

But, Damon wouldn't let her off the hook though as he said, "Why didn't she just float you a loan the first day you showed up? After all, Jeremy _is _her brother too…it makes more sense that she'd just give you the money and get rid of you_…unless…_" He paused and Elena felt blade of his inquisition sinking deeper. He stepped forward, invading her personal space again. "Unless, she's being typical Katherine and wanting something out of the deal-or is she worried she'll finally have to face the sins of her past?"

Elena flinched and Damon grabbed hold of her arms again. "Tell me," he demanded, frustrated because he'd never wanted shake some sense into someone more than he did now, but no matter what he did—Elena kept quiet!

Elena wanted to spill the beans. She really did. If it was simply her deal with Kat on the line—she would. She'd sing like a canary and do it with a song in her heart, but she couldn't; and not because she doubted Damon's ability to help. No, as a matter of fact, she had no doubts Damon would give her the money and move Heaven and Hell to make sure Jeremy would be safe, but it wasn't just Jeremy's safety on the line anymore. Damon's life could be in jeopardy too, and despite her desire not to become attached—Elena knew what she felt for the enigmatic man standing before her was far more than just an itch to get in his Calvin Klein's. She was—or had—fallen for him. He confused the hell out of her, but she definitely cared—deeply! And the very last thing she wanted was to be the cause of him getting himself killed! Like Katherine said earlier—it would be 'as if she pulled the trigger herself' and Elena simply couldn't pull that trigger. Not on Jeremy and not on Damon.

So, she swallowed her need to come clean with him and ask for his help and did what any good soldier would do—she faced the firing squad head on and protected her men.

"There's nothing to tell, Damon," she told him, looking him dead in the eye, all the while marveling at her own acting skills. "Katherine_ is_ going to help me. She just wants to make sure Elijah and Klaus can't come after her first is all." Elena felt sick at what she was about to do, but she really didn't see another way out of this mess. She had to let him go to protect him and keep him safe. But…first she wanted just one more taste. She cupped his face and brushed her lips over his, bringing them back to the intimacy that had been destroyed with Katherine's untimely arrival at her door. "Thank you though. Thank you for offering to help. It means a lot."

Damon was very nearly distracted by her soft kiss, but…he hadn't left home at eighteen and not only survived, but flourished, without having a damned good gut! And his gut was screaming right now. Something was not quite right with the story Elena was giving him, and yet, she hadn't denied anything he'd thrown her way. She'd admitted it all, but he still had a nagging feeling there was more…something she was keeping from him. It irritated the hell out of him, but he didn't want to push her so hard that he pushed her away. This was a start and one he wanted to build on. He palmed her face in his hands as his eyes searched hers for a moment, looking for a clue there, but finding nothing but those soft doe brown eyes that he could easily see himself drowning in for the rest of eternity.

"Okay. I'll let it go for now, but I know there's more. When you're ready to tell…I'll be ready to listen."

Elena blinked back the tears that threatened to fall at that declaration. Everything in her screamed in revulsion at sending Damon into her sister's arms tonight. Katherine did _not_ deserve this man! There was so, so much more to Damon Salvatore than the guy who brought women home like trophies, only to toss them out the very next day. He wanted what everyone on this planet wanted—that one person he could trust with his heart. And while Elena desperately wished it could be her, she knew what she was about to do would ensure it would not.

"How about we continue this conversation later…" Her eyes drifted to his lips and she simply had to have one more sip—one for the road so to speak. After all-Kat would be getting him all night-she deserved this moment. "Like after my sister and your brother leave. We can actually have some time to see if this thing between us is real."

As if she'd ever know, Elena thought even as she said them. It would be Kat kissing him later—not her.

With those heartbreaking thoughts swirling in her head, Elena brought his head down to hers and actually kissed _him_ for the first time ever, not the other way around. She aggressively sought out his tongue, wanting to commit to memory the exact flavor of his kiss; the way his lips molded to hers and how free she felt when he immediately took over, digging his hands into her hair and angling her head so he could kiss her more deeply. She curled her arms around his neck when he lifted her up, pressing her flush to his body and thrust his tongue into her mouth to play a kind of cat and mouse, dominant/submissive game of foreplay that, had she been standing, would have had her knees buckling.

She moaned his name softly, allowing herself to get lost for one more small moment in time with him and it was amazing! Damon kissed like the world was ending tomorrow…and, for Elena, she felt maybe it was. But, for now, she wanted to live in the moment, enjoy the way he held her, letting her feel the hard proof of his desire, and everything that desire and his kiss entailed. All of those stolen seconds went into her memory bank to be cherished later—for the hours she knew would come when she'd be alone and he'd despise her after he found out what she'd done. And it would be then that she'd be able to pull these treasures out and remember exactly what it felt like to be consumed by a man as exciting as Damon Salvatore. Remember what it felt like to have the illusion of a 'happily-ever-after' with him.

It wasn't going to happen. And all too soon she had to pull away, letting the curtain of her hair hide her sorrow as she broke free of his (far too tempting) embrace.

"Later," she whispered; her voice husky with a combination of arousal and regret. "Let's finish this after Katherine and Stefan leave."

She got the courage to meet his eyes and was both saddened and elated to see the suspicion wiped clean there. It was both good and bad because it made her duplicity both easier and far more difficult. Fooling Damon wasn't easy!

He took her hand in his. "Yeah, we'll definitely be finishing this later," he agreed, only half teasing. "I fully intend to unearth all your secrets, Ms. Gilbert…batten down your hatches, sweetheart. Hurricane Damon is here," he said outrageously doing that eyes thing of his that made her entire body tingle with lust.

She shook her head, the knot in her stomach loosening just a tad. "I guess I had better prepare myself then," she said, carrying on his banter.

Damon's jaw tightened and suddenly he was far more serious. "Maybe you should because I want you to think about what I said earlier. I can help you, Elena. You just have to tell me what it is you need help with." She opened her mouth to deny that allegation, but he placed a finger over her lips. "No. Don't say anything. Just think about it and we'll talk later."

With that, he leaned down, gave her one last bone melting kiss and then exited her room without looking back.

As soon as the door shut, Elena broke down. She was so fucking screwed! She didn't just care for Damon—she'd fallen, head over damned combat boots in love with the man

Oh shit! What was she going to do now? The plot had just officially thickened. _Now_, not only would she be betraying her own morals if she went along with her sister's diabolical plan—she'd be betraying the man she'd just realized she was utterly in love with!

Elena flopped back on the bed. Grabbed a pillow, buried her face in it and screamed. It used to work as a kid—and it worked in Iraq. Elena was a firm believer in the tried and true, and so she screamed her head off into that pillow; letting it out—all the frustrations of Katherine's bullshit, the anger at Jeremy getting himself in this mess to begin with. Her fucked up parents—Damon being everything she thought he was and wasn't—all of it, she let it out in one long muffled wail. And afterwards, she felt relieved. Better. She sat up and took a deep breath. She wasn't a victim, dammit! She'd faced enemies who strapped bombs to children for God's sake!

Elena knew damn well she could face this situation head on and not lose herself or anyone she loved in the process.

A sudden calm washed over her and Elena bolted upright. It was the same feeling she used to get before she went into combat. She silently said her unit's prayer in her head before she wiped her eyes and got up from the bed to resume her packing, all the while working on strategies to get her out of the pickle she was in. Ideas ranging from the wild to the completely deranged were bouncing through her head. Maybe, she should just tell Damon the truth—okay, wild…or maybe she should spill it to Stefan what his wife was up to—now, that might border on insane; but the one she had to resist the most put the 'DER' in 'der-ranged' Elena seriously contemplated driving back to Mystic falls and simply putting a couple hollow points in both Klaus and Elijah herself, therefor ending this whole drama once and for all!

But, as quickly as they popped into her head…she dismissed them as certifiable. Stupid would be putting it mildly. No, there was a better way—Elena simply had to find it, but one thing was for certain—no matter what—even if she had to go on this fucked up, gut-wrenching, hate-myself-in-the-morning mission (posing as Kat) with Stefan; she wasn't sleeping with him.

It would ruin her. And, in this, (like Katherine) Elena had learned survival was of the fittest. She would not compromise herself to feed her sister's needs. If her years in Iraq had taught her anything—it had taught her she was a survivor; maybe even more than her sister—after all she'd faced serious life or death situations and decisions. All she had to do was get through a weekend.

Elena pulled out her cell phone out and hit speed dial for her friend Tyler. If anyone could get her something to fix her problem at the drop of a hat—it would be Tyler.

He answered on the second ring. "Elena-don't tell you've finally realized you love me?" he asked teasingly.

Elena rolled her eyes. "Not even close and not in this lifetime, but I do have a favor to ask…"

He snorted. "Of course you do."

Elena's face hardened. "Hey, when your Uncle Mason got into that trouble with Homeland Security—who got him out?" Tyler went quiet and Elena felt a twinge of guilt as she basically blackmailed him. But desperate times called for desperate measures. "Which, by the way_, _I did _without_ him even knowing he was about to be busted—am I right?"

There was a muffled sigh on the other end before Tyler grunted out a, "Yeah. You did. What do you need, Elena? If I can get it, you know I will."

Elena shoved her guilt aside and called in her marker. "If you can get me this—we're square. Even Steven and you owe me nothing, Ty."

He coughed on the line and asked. "Jesus, Elena—what the fuck do you want?"

She chuckled softly. "I'm not looking to shoot Obama, Ty. I just need something—a pill or a powder that'll keep a guy down and out—wanting to pitch, but unable to play the game, if you know what I mean?"

Tyler started to laugh and Elena gritted her teeth. The situation wasn't at all amusing as far as she was concerned.

"Seriously—you want anti-Viagra and we're cool?"

Elena rolled her eyes at his term, but suddenly saw the humor in her request and her body relaxed. "Yeah, I guess you could say that. Can you get it?"

Tyler Lockwood had always idolized his Uncle Mason and when the FBI and NSA had shown up on his doorstep looking for him—he'd called the only person he'd known who knew the people who *might* be able to get Mason out the shit-storm he'd gotten into; Elena Gilbert and now, all she wanted was some funky anti-erectile drugs and they'd be square…?

"No problem. Consider it done," Tyler said. "Just tell me when and where…"

****Okay, guys…Now the plot is really thickening. Will Damon *know* it's Kat—will Elena get the drugs to her man? Will Stefan even go—after all his patients are the most important thing to him. Stay tuned for the next chappie. My musie is again on fire my friends—all that hibernation has made the bee-yatch *insane*! Lol! So click that little button because reviews feed the beast my friends. :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**All's Fair In Love and War **

**A fic by: Jenna**

**Rating: soft for now - at least for me- ;) You know it'll get racier-right? ;) Expect some smut next chappie people!**

**I want to thank you all for welcoming me back. I am really excited about this fic again and musie has been pretty damned consistent in writing for this one. **

**Okay—this starts pretty much where we left off…**

**Chappie 8**

The sleek, black limo rolled slowly down the drive, the soft crunch of gravel under the tires making the woman inside wonder whimsically if it was possible for the heart to actually make a sound when it broke? And if it did, would it crunch like gravel? Or shatter like the sound of glass breaking?

"I'm glad you decided to take this trip, baby," Stefan said, taking her hand. He brought it to his lips to place a soft, but lingering kiss on her knuckles. "I know I've been neglectful the last six months or so, but I want to start rectifying that; this trip is just the beginning. I love you, Katherine and I need you to know that you're just as important—no, you're _more_—important to me than my work."

His speech was sweet, but it wasn't meant for her and it took all of Elena's 'Special Forces' training not to cringe. She felt like a voyeur listening to Stefan pour his heart out to her, but she couldn't let her disgust show. No. She had to sit there and keep the brittle smile plastered to her face because she was playing a role here and she needed to play it to perfection.

"I know, Stefan," she sighed softly as she watched the mansion fade from view with a heavy heart. She was leaving the man she wanted with a she wolf and going on a romantic getaway with a man she had absolutely no interest in romantically—could things get any more screwed up?! "It's okay. Your work is important. All those children you help…you save lives. Nothing is as important as that,"

Stefan seemed surprised by her answer, but Elena barely noticed. Her thoughts were back at the mansion and the man she was leaving behind.

At least Tyler had come through for her. A small smile curled her lips upward as she thought of Katherine's frustration tonight. She felt bad for doing that to Damon…but, the alternative was even worse. Without the drug Damon might have had sex with her bitch of a sister thinking it was her and Elena simply couldn't tolerate even the thought of it, much less the actuality. She had never realized she was a jealous person until now, but as she'd poured the anti-happy powder into Damon's favorite scotch, (the one she knew he had at least one glass of daily) she'd felt an almost giddy sense of relief that little Damon would _not _be coming out to play while she was gone.

Elena nearly to laugh out loud as she imagined Kat's frustration, but the man sitting next to her, earnestly staring at her like she was the best thing since sliced bread killed the urge. She felt terrible—this was going to be a very-_very_ long weekend.

**Back at the Salvatore Mansion:**

Damon poured himself another glass of scotch with one hand, while holding his phone to his ear with the other.

He took a sip of his drink. "Come on…" he muttered, stalking around the parlor like a caged tiger as he waited for Mason to pick up the damned phone.

It rang again and again and Damon let out a muttered curse as it went to voicemail.

"God dammit!" He barely resisted the urge to hurl the phone across the room. He'd been trying to reach Mason for a couple days now. He wanted answers and he wanted them yesterday. Patience may be a virtue, but then again, Damon had never claimed to be virtuous! Especially, he was finding, when it came to Elena—he was neither patient nor virtuous.

He'd barely finished setting the phone down when the loud 'Ohhwhahahaha' of Disturbed's 'Down With the Sickness' blasted out from his phone, immediately garnering his attention. Mason's grinning mug was emblazoned on the screen of his I-Phone and Damon hit the answer button.

"About fucking time!" he growled, instead of the usual 'Hello'.

Mason chuckled on the other end. "Dude, it's been thirty seconds…"

Damon cut him off. "'Dude'" he mimicked sarcastically, "I left two messages for you yesterday!"

Mason quelled his laughter. "Yeah, I got them last night, D. I was on your case and couldn't get back to you."

Damon calmed down. "Okay. Understood. What did you find out?"

Mason's sigh was loud and clear over the line. "Damon, I gotta tell you, man…the more I dig, the worse it gets. These guys you're girl is involved in…they are some serious bad news."

Damon cringed just a bit at the use of 'his girl' but (to his astonishment) it didn't stop him dead in his tracks-like it used to. "I got that memo, Mas. What else have you got? What about the brother? Is he still running for them?"

"Yeah, but nothing serious. It looks like they've let him off the hook for now. Guess you're girl is a good talker..." The sentence was left open for a reply, but Damon didn't take the bait and after a moment Mason went on. "Okay, so I got in with the local Sheriff. Liz Forbes. She knows both your girls real well. Can't say enough good things about Elena, but Katherine—g"

"What about Katherine?"

"Let's just say she's not a fan, but she didn't have anything new—just the information I'd already reported to you."

"Does she have anything on the Första brothers we can use?"

"No, but wants to nail those dirt bags pretty bad. She has them involved in at least ten open homicide cases, but so far has nothing to actually tie them to the murders."

"Damn!" Damon muttered. "They're careful."

"No. They're careful and ruthless, my friend. Not the kind of guys to play with. Are you really sure you want to stick your nose in any further their business?"

Damon's stomach clenched, but he hadn't gotten where he was by being a coward. "Mason, I need you to keep digging…"

"Hey, you know me—I don't stop till I find the body… but, I want you to seriously think about the shit-storm you might be bringing on here, D. These guys play for keeps. Is this girl really worth dying over?"

It was Damon's turn to snort. "C'mon, I'm not without my own resources, man. Don't you think you're being—?"

"Hey, don't tell me I'm blowing this out of proportion."

"I was going to say overly dramatic," Damon commented dryly.

"Same thing," Mason replied. "And we've known each other too long for that shit. I'm not some drama queen blowing smoke up your ass, D. I'm your friend and as your friend I'm telling you these guys are serious business and before you get any more involved in their affairs, you might want to take a minute to contemplate the idea of _actually dying_ if this goes bad." Damon was silent for a moment and Mason went on softly. "You might be filthy rich, Damon, but you're not invincible. Think about that."

Damon mulled over what Mason was saying for a couple of seconds. His friend was right, this _could indeed_ be a suicide mission, but there was no way he would let Elena face these sons of bitches by herself either.

"I get what you're saying, Mas. I do, but you know me, I hate bullies and these guys are bullies. Keep digging," he said, "everyone has an Achilles Heel—we just need to find theirs."

Mason let out a humorless chuckle. "You're a stubborn S.O.B. you know that?"

Damon laughed—Mason was irritated, but the affection in his voice was unmistakable. "I may have heard that a time or two."

"Fine," Mason said, relenting with a sigh. "I'll see what I can come up with. Call ya when I got something new."

Damon agreed and disconnected the line before heading straight to the bar to refill his glass. If he'd been wound up before his conversation with Mason—he was doubly so after! Elena had really gotten herself in a mess. He began pacing again, practically wearing a pattern in the fine Persian rug under his feet as he came up with and tossed aside several ideas on helping Elena when it hit him—like a ton of bricks landing on his head and his pacing came to a sudden halt.

"Shit!"

Why hadn't he seen it earlier? This wasn't about Elena at all—at least not really. The whole mess had started with Katherine. _She_ was the one the brothers really wanted. They were probably using Elena to get to her—which meant they probably knew where Kat was now. He cursed again, soft and fluently. "Great," he muttered, Katherine was a target and she'd just left the safety of the compound with _no _protection but his brother. What if they decided to take Stefan out to get to her? Damon's heart stopped cold. He may not love Kat anymore, but he *did* love his brother and (truth be told) he didn't want Kat dead either—no matter how badly she pissed him off!

*********D&E*********

Katherine had just stepped out of her luxurious Jacuzzi tub when her phone began to buzz. She finished toweling off the soft, soapy bubbles from her bath, wrapped the plush cotton towel around her body and sauntered across the rich cream colored carpet that covered the floor of her private bath to answer it. Her lips curved when she saw Damon's name on the screen.

Hmm. Maybe he was missing her after all? Her stomach fluttered at the thought and she picked up the phone to answer it, but just before she hit the button, she hesitated, eyes widening as it dawned on her that she and Elena had forgotten to switch phones. If Elena and Stefan ever separated…or if Damon had made that call with her standing next to him—her plan would be an utter disaster.

"Dammit!" she snapped, setting the phone down without answering.

How could she have forgotten that?! She needed to call Elena, now! When her phone finally stopped buzzing, Kat snatched it back up, found her sister's number in her contacts and hit the send button—praying that her sister was smart enough to _not_ let Stefan realize who she was talking to.

Elena answered on the second ring.

"Okay, this is strange—Damon is calling Stefan right now while you're calling me. What's up?"

Kat felt panic seize her. Damon wouldn't call her and Stefan back to back unless…oh God! Did he know? "Elena, listen to me. Where's Stefan now?"

"In the supermarket; he wanted to stop for wine before we left. Why?"

"Because we have a problem. We didn't switch phones. If Stefan calls you while you guys are in Barbados…"

Elena gasped. "Oh no! He'll get you back there in Fells Church!"

"Yeah. See the problem? We have to fix this."

"Okay, but what do you suppose I do? Tell him we have to go back?"

"Exactly."

"What—how? What excuse could I give Stefan to make him go back?"

"Just tell him you forgot the bracelet he gave me for our first anniversary. Tell him you have to have it because it matches an outfit I packed you for the weekend."

"Katherine, he's not going to go all the way back to the house for a bracelet that I—or you—might want to wear on a whim!"

"Yes, he will," she said confidently. "It's not like he's on a schedule—the plane won't leave without you, you're taking the Salvatore Jet. It doesn't leave without a Salvatore on board, Elena."

Katherine's phone beeped and she pulled it away from her ear and almost had a heart attack when she saw Damon's name on the screen. "Fuck!" she gritted out.

"What? What's wrong?" Elena asked.

"Damon's calling."

Elena's sharp intake of breath was all the warning Katherine had before the younger twin started getting hysterical. "Oh my God-no! He knows! That's why he was calling Stefan too. He knows what we're up to and he's…oh God—he's going to hate me! He's going to tell Stefan and how can we ever explain this situation? We can't! Oh my God! Oh my fucking God-they're both going to think we're disgusting!" Elena's voice had risen on each sentence until she was nearly shouting into the phone. "Jesus, Kat! Why did I _ever _let you talk me into this?!"

Katherine had to get Elena calmed down before Stefan came back because if he got in the car now, he'd have psycho-girl to deal with and that would never do.

"Elena!" she barked; hoping the drill sergeant voice would snap Elena out of her terror. "Get a grip! You're a soldier, right? You've been in worse situations than this! Just get it together and tell Stefan you need to come home. I'll be here when you get back."

Several deep breaths later, Elena was back in control. "Fine. I'll get him to go home," she said with a sigh. "But you better talk to Damon first and find out what's going on."

"I will. I'll call—"

"I gotta go!" Elena interrupted suddenly. "He's coming back. I'll see you in a few."

And with that Elena disconnected the call.

Katherine leaned against the counter. She knew she had to call Damon, but an unfamiliar feeling of nervousness assailed her and she hesitated, worrying her bottom lip as she steeled herself for his rage if he knew what she'd done. Just when she'd gotten herself prepared for the worst, her phone started to vibrate in her hand and she almost dropped it—like it was a snake that had bitten her. She almost wished it was when she saw it was Damon again. A sick feeling of dread uncoiled inside her and for just a second, Katherine debated whether to answer.

"Shit!" she muttered and hit the answer button. She had to know—even if it was bad news.

It wasn't hard to sound breathless (terrified) or annoyed. She was both-in spades, but she brazened through it like she did with everything. "This had better be good, Damon, because me and my husband are a little busy at the moment."

Katherine's body tensed up, and the gut wrenching knot in her stomach tightened exponentially when Damon didn't immediately respond. Where was the snarky comeback?

Oh no.

"Well..." she finally prompted, unable to bear the unknown any longer. "What do you want?"

She sagged against her pristine white countertop when he gave her what she was looking for.

"Sorry if I'm interrupting the 'Rose Ceremony', sweetheart, but it's important." He paused and a derisive snort came across the line-it's meaning as loud and clear as his next words. "Trust me. I wouldn't be calling if it wasn't."

Her knees went weak with relief. He didn't know. He wouldn't be taunting her if he knew. "What is it?" she breathed, leaning a hip against the sink, hand to her chest as her heart rate decelerated.

The words, 'I'm safe-I'm safe-I'm safe' reverberated through her head—that is until she actually started to listen to what he was saying.

"Wait, what did you just say?"

"I said," Damon replied, "that you and I need to talk about your ties to a certain brother's back home and you're going to tell me what you did to them, besides steal their cash, to make them want to come after your entire family!"

And with those words, Katherine's blood pressure spiked all over again.

*************D&E***************

When Elena came into the manor, Katherine was waiting for her.

"Where the hell have you been?! I talked to you over an hour ago!" she hissed, yanking Elena into the parlor off the entryway.

Elena pulled her arm back, rubbing the area where her sister had squeezed so tightly. "One of Stefan's patients took a turn for the worse. He got the page while we were heading back here and I told him he should go to the hospital and be with her. We dropped him off on the way."

"Why did you do that? What about the weekend? You can't just call it off because a patient needs him." Katherine gave a dramatic eye-roll. "Trust me. One of his patients _always _needs him."

Anger suffused Elena at her sister's callousness and suddenly Stefan's surprise at her suggestion made more sense. "God, do you ever think of anyone but yourself? Katherine, she's nine years old and she's dying. Sorry if that puts a kink in your plans, but that sounded far more important to me than some weekend getaway and the mess here."

Katherine's face contorted in rage for a moment, before she seemed to compose herself. "Whatever. Think what you want about me," she said with a shrug. "I didn't have you come back to debate my character—or in your opinion, lack thereof." Her eyes hardened. "We have a problem, and we better work together to get us—meaning me—out of it, or the shit is going to hit the fan, Elena, and I mean big time!"

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about Damon, and how his extra-curricular activities are going to get us all in a world of trouble—especially Jeremy!"

****************D&E*****************

While Katherine was downstairs filling Elena in on Damon's investigation into their background, Damon was upstairs making sure the few people he actually cared about in this world stayed safe. He called Rose; an old flame and former F.B.I. Agent he'd met years ago when the Feds had been investigating his clubs in Vegas for laundering drug money. She'd been undercover as a dancer and Damon had been the one who hired her. The attraction had been instantaneous, and they'd had an affair. One that had cost her far more than it had him, actually. She'd lost her career—her bosses in D.C. hadn't been happy she'd been sleeping with the 'target' of their operation. While he'd come away with a fortune when he forced his partners to buy him out at top dollar—money laundering was not something he'd signed up for. And somehow, through it all, they'd remained friends (with benefits) for years until he'd met Kat. It was only after he'd fallen 'in love' that he'd ended things with Rose. He'd hurt her then, and it was a subject they never talked about, but she was still a loyal friend, even after she'd met her husband, Trevor.

Damon needed that now.

"So, how's life in 'Happily-Ever-After-Land'?" he teased, while reclining against his headboard, his open lap-top lying next to him as he spoke to Rose on the phone.

Across the miles that separated them, she scoffed. "Oh please, like you're really calling to ask about Trevor and I. You don't do 'Hey how are you?' calls_. I_ call _you_ for that."

Damon frowned. "Hey, I call…" he said in defense of himself. He did call. He called her every year at least once.

"Yes, but not to just say hi and you absolutely hate hearing about me and Trevor. So tell me the truth—what's going on? And, how can I help you?"

Damon gave up the pretense. Rose knew him too well and her instincts were always spot on, which was why he was calling her to begin with. She ran her own 'Private Security' company now and she used those instincts to 'lure away' disgruntled Feds from numerous Agencies. Her men were always well trained and unanimously known as the very-best of the best and brightest.

He explained his situation with the Första Brothers and wasn't at all surprised when Rose knew them by name and reputation before he even started to fill her in. As a matter of fact, she even filled him in on a few details Mason had missed; like their connection to the Russian Mafia and the trafficking of human flesh from Russia and the Ukraine. According to Rose, the F.B.I had an open investigation on them, but the closest they'd ever got to actually prosecuting the brothers for a crime had been when a young Ukrainian girl had come to the Feds for help to get out the prostitution ring the brothers had forced her into after paying her way to the U.S. Human trafficking was a federal crime—a meaty one too, and the F.B.I had been eager to have something substantial to use against the brothers to get them to give up their heavy hitting allies.

"But," Rose said, "Unfortunately, before the Feds got the case together, the girl who'd filed the charges had disappeared."

"Disappeared?" Damon said, scoffing. "So they got to her."

"Nothing could be proved," Rose replied, and Damon could picture her shrug as she said that. "But these boys do have a habit of making witness's disappear." She sighed. "Anyways, when the girl went bye-bye, so did the F.B.I's case, and they haven't had anything concrete on them since then. They still have an open file, but nothing they can take to trial."

"Great." Damon said softly.

"Not really. Klaus and Elijah Första are not your common street thugs, Damon. They're smart, especially Elijah. They're well connected and they play dirty—which I assume you already know or you wouldn't be calling me. But…I think I need to ask you something now…" Damon knew what was coming—but he still didn't have a logical answer when she asked, "Would you care to explain _why_ you're aligning yourself against them to begin with? I can't believe you run in the same circles as they do. You couldn't tolerate a little money laundering—much less what these guys are involved in, so what or should I ask _whom_, is so important to you that you're literally ready to take your life in your hands to defend them?"

"And please don't say it's Katherine because I may seriously have to shoot that bitch if it is," she added with a snarl in her voice.

Damon sighed. Rose would get to the bottom of it—he was sure of it. Might as well come clean, but dammit all…he wasn't nearly drunk enough for this conversation.

*******************D&E******************

Elena stashed the tainted bottle of scotch in her dresser before heading over to the bed and collapsing upon the fluffy soft mattress. She let out a huge sigh as her body sank into the downy comforter, immediately registering the relaxation to be found here. She ran a hand over her face tiredly. The day wasn't even half over and she was exhausted, both mentally and physically! Damon had been a busy little bee since she'd moved in. He knew all about Elijah and Klaus. He knew about Jeremy owing them money, knew Elena had made some kind of deal with them—hell, he even knew about Katherine's past with the brothers!

"What am I going to do?"

Katherine of course wanted her to keep her mouth shut, but that didn't sit well with Elena. Damon obviously wasn't a fool. It was time to stop playing him for one.

She got up from the bed, went into the bathroom and splashed some cool water on her face. As she stared at her reflection in the mirror, she came to two conclusions-one Damon wouldn't stop turning over rocks until he found the truth or a rattler under one of those rocks and two—the thought of Damon getting involved with the Första brothers scared her almost as much as her brother being involved with them. Her feelings for the dark haired Salvatore were quickly gaining momentum and Elena was tired of lying to him. It was time to tell the truth—well, at least part of it.

And with that thought in mind, she toweled off her face, brushed her hair, applied a slight dusting on bronzer and lip gloss before making her way out of her room and down the hall towards the suite she knew Damon used for his private quarters…

*******************D&E**********************

Katherine was pouring herself a glass of bourbon when Damon suddenly entered the parlor.

"Elena," he purred, "funny, but I didn't take you for a daytime drinker."

She almost dropped her drink when he called her by her sister's name, but then she remembered she was in her 'Elena outfit' of straight as a board hair, skinny jeans and a dark blue tank over a smaller white tank underneath. She composed her face before turning to face the man she'd gone through so much trouble for over the last month.

"Well after talking to Kat and finding out you've been digging up all our old skeletons—thought it called for a shot or three!"

She saluted him with her glass before taking a sip.

Damon chuckled huskily and the sound was so sexy and so reminiscent of the times when he'd loved her that Katherine felt a pang of bitter regret even as a burning heat unfurled deep inside her belly.

He went to pour himself a drink when suddenly he stopped, scowling. "Did you take my scotch?"

Katherine frowned as she searched the numerous bottles for the Johnny Walker Blue label Damon preferred.

"No," she replied honestly, "I didn't. Why would I take it?"

He raised a brow at her glass. "Well, you obviously drink more than I thought and since it's only you and me here in the house…"

Katherine nearly gnashed her teeth. It must have been Elena—but why? She wanted to lay the blame at her sister's feet, but she, in no way shape or form, wanted Damon to talk to Elena right now. She was far too agitated and might just blow their whole plan out of the water if she were confronted with him right now. Instead, as Damon grabbed another bottle from his bar and sloshed some amber colored liquor in a glass, Katherine changed the subject.

"Why have you been investigating me?"

His brow shot up and he smirked. "Well, she didn't waste any time did she?" He didn't give Katherine a chance to defend herself and went on. "I wasn't really investigating you, Elena—well, I was, but not for the reasons I'm sure Katherine told you. I was curious and then once I got some intekl—I got worried. Worried about the guys you've gotten yourself involved in. I want to help you."

He stepped closer and Kat's breath hitched at his nearness. He hadn't gotten this close to her in months.

"Let me help, Elena…" he whispered softly, cupping her face in one hand. "I want to keep you safe. You and your brother. If you'd just tell me the truth, I can get you and Jeremy out of the trouble you're in."

Katherine almost hated him in that instant. He would help Elena, but not her! "What about Katherine?" She couldn't help it—she had to know.

His jaw tightened. "Katherine wouldn't be worried about you—you realize that, right?"

That hurt, but Katherine muddled over her bitterness. This was her chance to have him again and she want wasting this shot. She set her glass down. "She might surprise you…" she said softly, letting her hands cup his face as she reveled in touching him again.

If Damon was surprised at Elena's forwardness, he got over it in an instant. He wanted her—even if his lower half was slow to coming to the party-which was mildly disturbing to him—he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her lithe body closer to his.

"I doubt it—not much Kat does surprises me anymore, but can we leave the she bitch out of this conversation for now? It's bad enough she broke us up this morning and I can think of so many better things we could be doing with our mouths," he whispered harshly, before taking her lips in a deep, wet kiss that had Katherine's toes curling.

She tucked her fury away at learning Damon had been in Elena's room earlier—she'd had a feeling—and just went with the kiss. Burying her hands in his hair and moaning when his tongue entered her mouth to coax hers to play with him.

"What the fuck!" he suddenly snarled and shoved her away from him.

Katherine was in a slight daze or she might have figured it out sooner, as it was, all she wanted was more…

"Damon…" She sighed and stepped closer to him, but he gripped her arms, and hauled her up so that they were eye to eye, nose to nose.

"Okay, Katherine, you have exactly three seconds to tell me why you're wearing an Elena suit and pretending to be her!"

Katherine's eyes widened in alarm and Damon's lip curled.

"Tick-tock, Kat and this had better be an Oscar worthy performance. Definitely better than any you _ever_ gave in Hollywood, sweetheart because I am about this close to just saying screw it and telling saint Steffie everything!"

********************D&E*******************

_**Dun-dun-dun-dah!**_

_**Okay guys—I'm not sure I'm happy with this. I wrote it so many times—so many different ways. In one draft I had Elena go on the trip, but then I didn't like that—she needs to be with Damon and then I had him catch Kat in another way-in another draft…UGH! And then I finally decided on this…**_

_**Let me know what you think. Should Elena finally come clean? And how will Kat get herself out of this? Can she? ;) I've already got most of the next chappie written…I'm trying to get at least two chappies done before I post anymore, that way you guys don't have *so* long to wait anymore.**_

_**Anyhow…click that little button and feed the musie beast. She's very needy and thrives on the love and reviews. :)**_

_**Thanks Jen :)**_


	9. Chapter 9

**All's Fair in Love and War **

**A fic by: Jenna**

**A/N: Okay guys, I know that I have left this fic hanging for a long time and I apologize for the huge delay. Musie had lost her vision and I had a lot of real life drama that kept me from writing. However, I had such a blast writing for the A2A Holiday exchange this year, that it inspired me. Musie dusted off her cobwebs and I was able to complete several chappies of this fic. This is basically a catcher-upper chappie. You know, to remind us all where our characters are at this point. And for most of you who may have forgotten what has transpired so far, I have posted a chronological highlight below of the main events to this fic. **

***********************D&E**********************D&E*************************

**Okay, so here's the road so far:**

*Elena is an Iraqi war veteran who came home, discovered her brother, Jeremy, had gotten himself in some trouble with Elijah and Klaus. She went to her twin sister, Katherine for help, because Kat was married to the very wealthy Stefan Salvatore. To Elena's surprise and shock, Katherine had a price for her help. She wanted Elena to seduce her husband, so that she could win back her first love, her husband's brother, Damon.

*Reluctantly, Elena agreed and found herself in the middle of the Stefan/Katherine/Damon triangle. Damon started to fall for Elena, but he realized something wasn't right with Elena's story of why she was visiting her sister—the twins didn't like each other and it was obvious. He did some background checking on her and her family and discovered the Klaus and Elijah threat. Damon offered to help Elena; however, Elena kept the truth to herself.

Now, where we left off in the last chappie: Katherine had forced Elena to pretend to be her while she assumed Elena's role at the Salvatore house, in an effort to seduce Damon. Elena left on a (second Honeymoon) trip with Stefan, pretending to be Katherine, but had to return to the Salvatore house, because Stefan had an emergency at the hospital. Damon was getting close to finding out the truth about why Elena was really there and Kat was determined to have her way with him before that happened.

**In the final scene of the chappie, Damon had just figured it out that it was Katherine he was kissing, not Elena…**

_"Damon…" She sighed and stepped closer to him, but he gripped her arms, and hauled her up so that they were eye to eye, nose to nose._

_"Okay, Katherine, you have exactly three seconds to tell me why you're wearing an Elena suit and pretending to be her!"_

_Katherine's eyes widened in alarm and Damon's lip curled._

_"Tick-tock, Kat and this had better be an Oscar worthy performance. Definitely better than any you __ever__ gave in Hollywood, sweetheart because I am about this close to just saying screw it and telling saint Steffie everything!"_

***************************D&E******************************

**Okay, so now that we're all caught up, on with the show.**

**Chappie 9**

Unaware of the trouble brewing downstairs, Elena had finally decided it was time to come clean. The near miss, of having Damon catch them in the act of their deception, had been enough to spur her into action. He would still be furious, but it was better he hear it from her rather than her sister, or worse, discover her betrayal on his own.

She gave a short rap on Damon's door, before turning the handle and opening the door. "Damon…?" she called, "are you here? I need to talk to you…about what we were talking about earlier," she said, moving into the room.

Nothing but silence greeted her, and she hesitated for a moment. The room appeared empty, but maybe he was in the shower? Her heart flip-flopped as images of a wet, naked Damon came to mind. She froze. Was she ready for that? God, no, but her feet seemed to have a mind of their own as they moved towards the en-suite bathroom. It was empty. She was simultaneously both relieved and disappointed. She headed back into his room. She should leave. Damon wasn't there, and she knew staying would be a total invasion of his privacy, but the chance of getting a glimpse into the enigmatic man that consumed both her waking thoughts, and her dreams, was irresistible. Ignoring her inner conscience's urging, Elena went to the open door, and shut it with a soft click.

"Okay, Damon Salvatore," she whispered aloud to herself, "time to find some of your skeletons and even the playing field just a bit."

She looked around, trying to decide where to start. Her heart was racing—if he caught her in here, there'd be hell to pay, but she was not only insanely curious about him, she really needed to know more about him before she confronted him and came clean. As she moved through his private domain, she couldn't help but think how the bold, dark pieces of furniture in his room suited his personality. The bed was (of course) the largest piece. A massive, beautifully carved four poster thing made of the same rich wood as the rest of the furniture. The mattress was so big that three-maybe four people could sleep comfortably there—or other things. Suddenly, Elena was wondering exactly how many women had romped with him on that oversized mattress. On that note, her stomach churned with an uncomfortable feeling she now recognized as jealousy. Okay no thinking about all his women, she told herself as she began to search his room for some kind of clue into just what made Damon Salvatore tick.

*************************D&E***************************

**Downstairs Parlor:**

By the stunned look on her face, Damon knew Kat had never figured into her plot, a contingency plan for if he might realize she wasn't Elena. For once, he had her against the ropes and he wasn't about to let her get a time out. He watched her over the rim of his glass. "C'mon, Katherine; was this your 'grand' plan, seduce me as Elena?" He rolled his eyes. "I gotta say, this is a new low—even for you."

For once Katherine was at a loss for words. She'd honestly believed he'd be too ruled by lust to know, or even care. She should have known—Damon never did what she expected. "Why would you?" she finally replied. "Your higher brain doesn't usually do most of your thinking for you. Now does it?"

"Touché," he said, raising his glass. "You have me there. As a matter of fact, I think my entire relationship with you actually proves I usually let my dick do my thinking for me," he said, smirking as his barb struck with deadly accuracy. "However, that still doesn't explain why you'd think I'd fall for your Elena costume. It's not like I don't_ know_ the lady in question." He paused and the wicked grin on his face told a tale Katherine didn't want to see or face. "Believe me," he taunted, "I most definitely do."

Her eyes darkened and steam practically poured from her ears, "Well, since you apparently can't get enough of my sweet baby sister, I figured, what the hell!" She rounded on him, sauntering right up and placing her hands on his chest and stroking him, as her voice lowered to a seductive purr. "I wouldn't mind if you called out her name as long as it was_ me_ you were making love to."

Damon gave a short bark of laughter and pushed her off him. "Making love—me and you?! Not likely." He shook his head as if trying to even contemplate the concept. "That's just…pathetic," he said, picking up a bottle of Makers Mark and refilling his glass with the smooth bourbon. Katherine looked furious as Damon nonchalantly leaned a hip against the bar and took a sip of his drink before continuing. "And while you're a lot of things, Katherine…Queen of all things bitchy, comes to mind…" he mused, "_but_," he emphasized the word, "you've never been pathetic. So why don't you just drop the act and tell me what the hell is really going on with you and Elena, because I know her visit here is a lot more than just sisterly bonding."

Katherine wasn't one to just toss in the towel when the going got rough and she refused to let this bump in the road throw her entire plan off track; so she improvised, by sprinkling enough of the truth into her story to put Damon on a different trail. "Fine," she sighed, "But it isn't pretty." Damon already had enough information from his own sources. Kat was well aware she would have to make this believable. "Elena came here looking for money, because of Jeremy. It seems our brother has gotten himself mixed up with some very bad guys, as you already know. I told her I would help her, but I wanted something from her in return."

Damon snorted. "I knew it. You blackmailed her. Just what did you ask her to do? Get me interested in her so that you could close the deal?"

"It wasn't like that…exactly," she replied, warming to her story now that she was spinning it and Damon himself had just added a new twist. "I did ask her to stay here a while and befriend you. You know, try and smooth things over for me with you, so that I could fix things between us," she said softly.

"Jesus, Katherine. You're crazy!" he growled, pacing. "Jeremy is your brother too, right?"

"Yes, he's my brother."

"Then why the hell would you ask Elena to do that in order to save him?!"

"Why do you think?" she asked instead of answering.

"I don't know, because, you've finally lost it?!" Damon replied flippantly.

"Maybe, I've finally realized I still have feelings for you."

Damon's face clearly showed his surprise for all of a second, before the cold mask slipped back over his features. "Then, I don't know what to tell you, because that boat has sailed, sweetheart. It sailed the day you married my brother."

"What do you mean? When you came home, you were still after me. We got back together! What's changed?"

"Katherine, when I came home, we didn't get back together! I wanted to make you and Stefan suffer!" he shouted, stunned she hadn't figured that out yet. "I fucked you so I could wreck your marriage—like you'd wrecked me!"

For the first time, Damon gave her a glimpse into the pain she'd caused him. His beautiful baby blues were wild and dark with rage.

"Damon…" Katherine murmured, taking two steps forward, hands outstretched, as if to console him, but he recoiled as if she were a poisonous viper.

"Don't!" he snapped, moving across the room from her. He closed his eyes and got his emotions under control. When he opened those brilliant blue orbs again, they were icy blue, cold and distant. "Don't you see?" he said, a ruthless smirk curling one side of his mouth upwards. "Doing you was a two for one, I couldn't resist. I fucked you and fucked over Stefan—all in one shot!" Katherine shook her head, as if denying the ugly truths falling so cruelly from his lips, but Damon didn't care. He went on, telling her with gusto exactly how he had used her. "I wasn't trying to win you back. I was making you remember what you passed up."

Damon paused and took note of her expression. It was priceless. She looked almost as devastated as he'd felt when she told him she was dumping him for his brother. He smirked again, driving the nail in deeper. "Oh, c'mon, don't tell me you're having buyer's remorse now, Katherine," he said drolly, as if he was bored. "Well, too bad. You made your choice a long time ago—I suggest you start to live with it."

All of her plotting and planning was crashing down and Katherine couldn't believe he'd played her like that. "But, you said you still loved me!" she exclaimed, desperate to make him admit some part of him still cared.

"And _you_ accepted my ring, and then married my brother. I think that makes us even."

Everything was ruined. Katherine was alone and afraid she had made the biggest mistake of her life and now she was going to pay for it. And for once in her life, she simply spoke the truth without thinking about it first. "But, I still love you," she whispered, sounding more broken than Damon had ever heard before.

His eyes snapped to her face and Damon's jaw dropped. "You what?!" he nearly shouted. He glanced to the drink in her hand and his brow shot up. "Jesus, how many of those have you had?"

It would have been a great excuse, except, now that she'd said the words out loud, Kat was almost calm. It was a relief to just have them out there and not bottled up inside anymore. "I'm not drunk," she said softly, approaching him slowly, like he was a big, dangerous cat that might take a swipe at her if she got too close, too quickly. "I still love you, Damon. I have for a while." She paused and gave him a soft smile. "Actually, I don't think I ever stopped."

Damon stared at her hard. His pulse accelerated for a heartbeat, until he remembered who he was talking to. Yeah, she loved him. Sure she did. And maybe she had some ocean front property in Arizona for sell too!

"Bullshit!" he scoffed, brushing off her claim of love. He'd believe that when pigs could fly! "What angle are you playing here, Kat? You have to have a reason for trying to force feed me this line of crap…"

She scowled. How dare he laugh after she said she still loved him! "It's not bullshit, Damon! It's the truth!"

"And what, exactly, made you have this sudden epiphany?"

"When I realized I might lose you!" she cried, racing forward and grabbing him by the biceps, startling Damon with her intensity. "I can't lose you, Damon. I love you!"

She had always blown hot and cold, but this was raising the bar of crazy to an all-time high! "You know, just when I think you can crawl any lower-you do!" he snarled, "This is an all-time low, Kat and you've been pretty damned low in your time, but this...Trying to get out of your web of lies by spouting off some 'I still love you, Damon,' bullshit! Do you really think that same old line and dance is going to work on me anymore?" He came to stand right in front of her. "Actually, better question; do you really think I even care if you still love me?" He shrugged and the coldest, cruelest smile ever, graced his beautiful features as he said, "If you do, then you're sadly mistaken. The day I stopped caring whether you loved me or not, was the day you married my brother, baby. Everything after that was simply revenge."

And with those callous words, Damon pushed past her and started to leave the room. Stung by his rejection, Katherine didn't know what to say to make him stay, but before she could utter a word, he stopped, spun back around and pinned her to the spot with his intense blue eyes.

"Wait a minute," he said, frowning as a sickening realization began to dawn, "If you're here playing Elena…then where is Elena?" The wicked way Katherine's frown curled into a devious smirk said it all, and Damon began to shake his head no, even as his mind started to rapidly put two and two together. "No way…she wouldn't…"

"Oh, but she did," Kat said, her smirk widening into a full-fledged smile. If she couldn't have him—she sure as hell didn't want Elena to have him either.

Damon gave a soft growl, before storming back over to Katherine. He snatched his ex-lover up by the shoulders and shook her. His face was tense, his jaw clenched so tight, a muscle ticked there, and there was a hint of agony burning behind his bright blue eyes. "Katherine, I am in not in the mood for any of your games, right now, so I'm only going to ask you this once and you're going to tell me the truth. Do you understand?" He didn't wait for her to answer, but he did give her a extra little shake as if to emphasize his point.

Katherine already knew what was coming, but it still burned that it was obviously Elena's role in the affair that was making him so angry. "You already know the answer, lover," she purred, wanting to lash out and hurt him like he was hurting her.

Damon's eyes widened as the truth slammed home, but still… he had to ask, "Where-is-Elena?"

*******************D&E*******************

Upstairs, the girl in question was blissfully ignorant that her world was about to come crashing down around her ears.

After a quick search of Damon's suite, which had turned up nothing more interesting, other than the fact that Damon preferred Calvin Klein boxer/briefs to Fruit of the Loom's; Elena had headed for the closet. In one trunk, she had gotten a bit more than she'd bargained for when she discovered the virtual treasure trove of sex toys inside. There were handcuffs, (some of them fuzzy) a few sets of silk scarves, a variety of lubricants (both his and hers), vibrators and dildos, (some of which had her blushing like a virgin on her first date) and all different sets and sizes of little clamps that Elena did not want to even imagine where they went! She had quickly slammed shut the lid, her cheeks burning as she glanced around nervously, half expecting to see him there, lurking in the shadows, smirking at her as she uncovered his secret stash. Well, she'd wanted to learn more about him…except, finding out he was adventurous in the bedroom, hadn't been exactly what she'd had in mind!

She'd moved on from the closet (some things were better left hidden) and went to the nightstands on either side of his bed. One had held nothing but his lap top, which was password protected, a few books and some racy pictures of numerous naked girls that once again had Elena's cheeks flushing hot. However, when she searched the other side, she hit the jackpot. There, stashed beneath a copy of the New York Times, was a file on not only herself, but on Katherine, and the Första brothers, too. Flipping through the pages upon pages of intelligence, Elena was amazed at how fast Damon had gathered his information. Not even her friend at Quantico had unearthed some of the intel Damon had on Klaus and Elijah. Their ties to the Russian Mob made her stomach clench with dread and fear. She hadn't had a clue about _that_ little tidbit, and it worried her, more than she wanted to admit. Some of the pages were marked classified, and Elena had seen enough military dossiers to know, Damon obviously had some pretty powerful connections to have gotten his hands on those files. Seeing how much he'd accomplished in such a short time actually made her decision to come clean easier. He'd make a very capable ally, and Elena was finally ready to admit she needed the help.

She went to put the file back when an ornately framed photo of a young Damon with a woman caught her eye. The woman was so beautiful, Elena felt her breath catch. It wasn't like any of the other photos she'd found (thank God!) and she felt compelled to take it out for closer study. The woman's eyes caught her attention and held it. They were the exact shade of blue as Damon's. And, (as with Damon) they captivated the viewer. Elena immediately knew the woman in the picture was Damon's mother. The fact that he kept a picture of his mother and him close by made her heart warm even more. And yet, it also confused her. How could a man who kept a trunk full of sex toys in his closet and raunchy pictures of dozens of women on one side of his bed, still be tender enough to keep such a sentimental picture in the nightstand where he slept? It was like he was two people; deviant womanizer on one side and sweet and loyal son on the other!

Elena rubbed her temples, fully aware that instead of learning more about him, her little search had only made Damon even more of an enigma to her. She was about to put everything back, when she spotted the journal. It was a beautiful shade of indigo with a lily etched into the leather jacket .Her hand hovered over it for a moment as an internal battle of right and wrong ensued briefly; her instinct to do the right thing gave way to her desire to learn more about the man that was truly beginning to haunt her, and Elena simply couldn't resist picking up the book.

At the first page, she realized it wasn't Damon's diary at all. It was his mothers. Upon that discovery, her conscience spoke up again, and Elena knew she should put the diary away and exit the room. She wasn't violating only Damon's privacy any longer; she was invading his mother's private thoughts, too. However, as she read Lily's insightful thoughts and delightful descriptions of her eldest son's personality and antics, she became more and more intrigued. Her curiosity grew and Elena found she couldn't put the journal down. She was getting a glimpse of a whole new side to Damon and she wanted more. So, despite her conscience's urgings, Elena settled back on Damon's bed and started to read in earnest…

**************************D&E****************************

Katherine hesitated, letting him simmer in his pain and anger.

"Tell me!" Damon roared, shaking her until her teeth almost rattled in her head.

"You're hurting me!" Katherine snapped.

Damon immediately loosened his hold, but he didn't let her go. "Then tell me the fucking truth. Did Elena go with Stefan this morning?"

Breaking Damon hadn't been on her agenda for the day, but seeing how disturbed he was about Elena leaving with Stefan, compared to the cold-fish reaction he'd given her admission of love, pushed Katherine over the edge.

"Fine," she spat, yanking herself out of his grasp. "You want the _fucking_ truth? I'll give you the _fucking _truth! Just remember you asked for it!" Katherine could have told him then and there that although Elena may have left with Stefan earlier, she wasn't with him presently; however, seeing him so worked up over her sister after telling her she'd been nothing more than a means to an end, made her want to see him hurt too. "Yeah, that _was _Elena you watched leave with Stefan earlier. The plan was for her to spend the weekend with Stefan and seduce him, while I had the weekend with you—to try and win you back."

Damon world careened and he wanted to be sick. How could he have been so wrong? He had thought Elena was nothing like her sister.

"Why? Why would she do such a thing?"

"Because, I agreed to pay her price," Katherine replied, jealousy burning in her heart as she shattered Damon's hopes once again. "I told her I would pay to get Jeremy out of the scrape he was in if she got Stefan to fall in love with her; and then if Stefan did find out about you and I, he wouldn't have a leg to stand on, because he'd slept with Elena. There. Now, you have it. The whole truth and nothing but…" She paused and let her words sink in before adding, "Happy now?"

It was such a twisted plot that Damon simply couldn't wrap his mind around Elena being that nefarious. Katherine, yes, but Elena…? He couldn't see it. A tiny thread of belief in her still lingered—he simply couldn't have been that wrong about her.

"You're lying. Or…you blackmailed her into agreeing with that crazy plan."

Katherine's face didn't give away any of her surprise that Damon had pinpointed the truth so quickly. Instead she met his gaze head on and rolled the dice that he would believe her, because he was so upset. "I didn't blackmail her, Damon. She could have said no. And you watched them leave with your own eyes, so you know I'm not lying about that. You just don't want to believe little sister can be just as big a bitch as you obviously think I am!"

And that was the crux of the matter. Damon didn't want to believe Elena was like Katherine. He stared at her hard, hoping she'd break and admit she was making it up, but Katherine never even flinched and he knew she was telling the truth. His jaw clenched hard, and all at once, he had the insane urge to simply react to the rage bubbling up inside him by wrapping his hands around Kat's throat and squeezing until no more poison could flow past her lying lips ever again!

He turned away from her and went to the bar. He definitely needed a drink after this heart to heart. "Go. Get out of here." he muttered, clenching his fists. He grabbed the bottle of bourbon, by-passing the glass this time. He drank it straight from the bottle, absolutely needing the numbing burn of relief it would bring. Katherine hesitated in making her exit and Damon turned, bottle halfway to his mouth; he needed her gone. "I mean it, Kat. Go-now, before I do something to you that we'll both regret," he added harshly, while visions of snapping her neck danced in his head.

Katherine sighed. She wanted to stay and plead her case some more, but it was obvious Damon wouldn't hear a word she said. So, she let it go. "Fine, I'll go but, I need to ask you something first."

He was wiped out and feeling as if he'd been put through the ringer, but of course Kat wouldn't just let him be. "What now?" he sighed. "Do you really need another pound of flesh to make this a successful kill?" He took a long pull off the bottle and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Trust me, you've done your damage."

His words were flippant, but the pain on his face was evident. Katherine experienced a momentary pang of regret for hurting him again, but she still had an agenda and she would see it through. "No. I wanted to know what you're going to say to Elena. Are you going to confront her?"

Damon shrugged and guzzled down another huge swallow of the expensive bourbon. He felt calmer now. The alcohol was finally making him numb. He almost smiled. "What can I say?" he replied, giving a bitter laugh. "She lied. What else is new?" he shrugged and took another sip from his bottle. "Everyone lies. I guess that makes her no better than the rest of us," he said as he saluted her with the (now) half empty bottle. "Guess we're all fucked up, neurotic and insensitive. Maybe we should have a reality show."

He was being sarcastic, but it was only a façade and Kat knew it. She tried once more to offer him her way out. To offer him her comfort. "I'm sorry, Damon. Let me stay with you. I never meant to hurt you…"

He snorted, but backpeddaled away from her viperous arms and the deceit found within them. He'd had more than enough of Katherine's kind of comfort to last him a lifetime; thank you very much! "Yeah, sure you are," he said, waving the bottle at her, more than a little tipsy at this point. "You don't give a shit. You just want me now, because I don't want you anymore, so save that speech for someone who actually believes you." He chuckled. "Maybe you can get Steffie to believe it. He always has been more a a softie than I am."

She stared at him for a second longer as the realization that she could possibly lose not only Damon, but Stefan too, if Damon cared to share this little adventure. Katherine's mind started to race and she was definitely regretting her rash words of confession now that her anger had passed, but despite the fact that everything was crashing down around her...she still couldn't let Elena come out of this clean. "I _am _sorry, but I did what I did, because I love you. Elena did it for the money. Think about that when you're playing the blame game."

And with those last deceitful words, she left, leaving Damon alone; broken and angry and ready to drink away his misery. His shoulders sagged as soon as her footsteps faded. He wanted to smash something as he contemplated what a magnificent failure his love life was. Enraged, he tossed the mostly empty bottle at the fireplace, watching with satisfaction as it shattered, spraying the flickering flames burning in the grate and sending them shooting high for a brief moment, before they settled once again to the slow burn they were before his outburst. He felt sick and gallingly stupid, all at the same time. Why had he thought Elena would be any different from her sister? They were twins—two peas in a pod—literally. He should have known. He grabbed another bottle of bourbon from the bar and took a deep swig, contemplating his situation with Elena. He should have known and that was what really pissed him off! She'd been nothing but secretive since the moment she'd arrived on his doorstep.

Damon stared into the fire as he took another drink from the bottle. Why was he always such a sucker for manipulative bitches that wanted nothing more than to rip his heart out and stomp it into the ground?

He swallowed some more of the bourbon again. Giving a satisfied growl as it burned its way down his throat. It was a good burn and it was the only thing stopping him from calling Elena and demanding she tell him what the hell she was doing! He truly wanted to hear her try and lie her way out of it, except he was afraid he'd want to believe her—utter fool that he apparently was! And that was the clincher. He felt like an idiot, but he did have his pride and he absolutely _refused_ to be played twice by these sisters!

With a sudden fit of temper, he threw his phone against the wall. "There!" he said, grinning with satisfaction as it shattered into several pieces. "Now I won't even be tempted." Somehow that made him feel better. Recklessly drunk, he snatched up two more bottles from his good stock and headed (a bit unsteadilly) out the double doors that led to the patio.

Once outside, he made a bee-line past the pool and staggered towards the guest house, where he knew he wouldn't be disturbed for the night. He planned on getting rip-roaring drunk, calling up one (or maybe two-or even three) of his bootie-call girls (definitely blondes or red heads) and simply forgetting about _any_ woman with chocolate brown hair, big doe eyes and luscious lips that did nothing but lie and break a man down with their Judas kiss.

***********************************D&E***************************************

**Okay, now I know that was a brutal chappie. Kat sure is a beeyatch, isn't she? However, in this fic I am trying to show how human emotions can get all tangled up when you love someone…you hurt the ones you love, right? And in this, Kat does love Damon. She is just far too selfish to ever be good for him. Don't worry. There will be some DElena scenes in the next chappie. I have 2 more chappies finished and will post once a week until this story is complete. I am sorry, that I let this fic linger for so long. Real life and other drama (plus musie was on strike) kind of took away the inspiration, but musie is back. I'm working on the ending, as I write this, as a matter of fact. So, you can expect a chappie a week, until it's complete. Thanks to all of you who have waited so patiently (or impatiently-lol) for this fic to continue; it really means a lot that you are all so invested in it. Thank you. Okay, enough from me. Click the blue button and let me know what you think.**

**Hey, good or bad, reviews make the musie fat & happy! ;)**

**Jen**


	10. Chapter 10

_All's Fair in Love and War_

_A fic by Jen_

_Rating: Okay, this is *finally* going to start earning that 'M' rating._

_A/N: I wanted to say thank you to all of you who have welcomed this fic back so warmly. It really inspired musie and I have it pretty much done now, so I decided to post this early. Hope you all enjoy it. I will get some pm's out this weekend, but to all of you kind enough to leave a review-this early chappie is for you. _

_Okay, we're taking off right where we last were. Elena is upstairs in Damon's room snooping through his room and Kat had officially let the cat out of the bag, so to speak by telling Damon her own biased version of the truth. Of course he reacted with typical Damon impulsiveness and decided to get plastered, make a booty call and simply forget..._

**Okay...now we're all caught up, on with the show.**

**Damon's Room:**

While Katherine was downstairs, ripping her world apart, Elena was in Damon's room, so engrossed in Lily's stories about her family, that she completely lost track of all time. She giggled out loud at a few of the tales about Damon and his impulsive ways; like the trip to Africa he'd planned, so he could feed the children there with his stash of Twinkies and cookies! Elena had actually laughed out loud at that little episode. Another great one was when he'd tried to rescue every snake in the garden by hiding them in his room—that is until they all escaped and terrorized the house for months! She chuckled softly as she'd imagined the rest of the house's reaction to his 'rescue mission'! With each and every tale, Elena got a better view into Damon the child. He'd been quite a handful; a true rascal, but one thing always rang true in all the wild and crazy adventures; Damon's heart had always been in the right place. He had never intentionally tried to hurt anyone.

Elena was determined to find out what had happened to him to change him so drastically from a loveable scamp, into the cold, aloof and sometimes brutal man he was today.

Elena was still wiping tears of mirth from her eyes about one of Damon's adventures when she heard someone storm past the room. She froze, heart pounding in fear at getting caught snooping like she was, but then the door at the far end of the hall slammed and Elena let out the breath she'd been holding. She paused for a moment, wondering what had set Kat off this time. It must be Damon. She almost put the diary back, but the next entry Lily had made on December 15th had her heart breaking and she couldn't help it, she simply had to read on…

"_Well, I received some terrible news today. It appears I have a heart condition __and if I don't get a heart transplant within the month, I will most likely suffer a fatal heart attack. It is not the kind of news you'd want for Christmas, but I have decided not to curse the God I love for giving me this fate. He has his reasons and I accept them. Of course, Giuseppe went ballistic. He wants to buy me the transplant, but I refused. There are other people on that list—people who need this surgery as badly as I do. These people have waited longer, and I will not let Giuseppe use his money to improve my chances. Of course Giuseppe is angry at my decisions, but that is to be expected. In his way he loves me, but he will get over my passing—quicker than he imagines now. He is a survivor. Stefan will also rebound quickly because he is so young. He will have his father to comfort him. But, I do worry for Damon. Who will comfort him? Who will love him with all their heart like he deserves? Certainly not his Father! I think the only thing I am angry at is that Giuseppe has two beautiful sons—yet he only has room in his heart for one."_

Elena's eyes watered with those words. Lily had complained about Giuseppe being too harsh on Damon and expecting too much from him at such a young age, but this was the first time she had come right out and said he treated the boys differently. Suddenly Damon started making more sense to her. She read on, tears flowing as with each entry, Lily bravely accepted her dim future, while keeping up the façade of perfect health; filling her children's last days with her with happy memories as Christmas approached.

When she got to the entry that was Christmas day—Elena felt her throat close up with sadness knowing this was most likely Lily's last Christmas with her family.

_**December 25:**_

_Oh Diary, my dear friend, today was a wonderful day filled with the happy laughter of my boys as they opened their presents this morning. Even Giuseppe was on hand for the occasion and (shockingly) he didn't even complain once at how I spoiled the boys this year. I suppose it is because we both know this is, more than likely, my last Christmas with them, but it doesn't matter. Today was sheer joy and I am still basking in it! Stefan was overjoyed with the Super-Nintendo system Damon talked me into buying for him. I am not sure who laughed more, me or my children, as they tried to teach me to play some game called Super Mario Brothers! Oh we had such fun! Damon was simply thrilled with the video recorder he received. His face just lit up like a Christmas tree, however, (and I am grinning as I write this) I don't know if anyone in this house will have a moments' peace now that he can follow us around and record our every movements! The camera he had before was bad enough. Lord knows how we will all deal with this, but I couldn't resist. He is so clever with his pictures, I am sure he will be just as spectacular in making movies. _

_Speaking of Damon, the most amazing thing happened this Christmas. My son grew up before my very eyes. Last night, he discovered me putting out the 'Santa' presents. I was literally caught red-handed with no excuses except the truth. Oh, the sadness I felt as I watched the glow of youthful innocence fade away from my son's beautiful blue eyes...it was heartbreaking, however, that sadness was rivaled by the pride I felt when he suggested we "keep this news between us because Stefan couldn't handle it." I wanted to hug him so hard, but he was such a little man about it—protecting his brother. Damon is so strong, yet so vulnerable. I can only wonder who will protect him when I'm no longer here to do so._

Elena tried to stop the flow of tears, but it was useless. Lily's obvious love for her children made her heart ache for the Salvatore brothers and for herself too. She'd never known that kind of love. It made her ponder the question of what was worse: To have that kind of affection in your life and then lose it—or to never have it at all?

She supposed both options sucked, and as she wiped the tears from her cheeks, her sympathy for Damon went up another notch.

**January 3****rd**

_You know, I try to love and support my husband. God knows I do, but I cannot understand his reasoning as he continues this course to drive a wedge between our children. The other night Damon climbed on the roof to film that comet everyone has been talking about and fell off. Of course I was worried, (that boy has a way of finding trouble!) but I was also proud of his ingenuity and bravery. But do you think Giuseppe saw that? No! He ridiculed Damon for getting hurt and then took away his new video recorder! Of course, Damon is angry with his father for punishing him. I think he knows if that had been Stefan who pulled such a stunt, Giuseppe would have called it creative. I am worried Damon is changing due to the burden Giuseppe places on him for being the heir. He is only 12 for Gods sakes! He is not ready to take the helm of the Family business and I wish Giuseppe would stop expecting him to be so mature. Later, I watched his recording and it was wonderful. He is so creative! So, I went around Giuseppe's back and Damon and I watched it together. He was so happy that when Giuseppe found out and was (of course) furious—it was well worth the row we had over it. To see my son smile so proudly like he did when we watched his video, that, dear diary, is what makes my life worth living._

**January 4****th**

_I fear there will never be a resolution to the differences between my eldest and his father. Giuseppe has punished Damon even further for the Comet disaster! I do not see why my husband feels the need to brow beat his son, but sadly, I don't know how much longer I will be here to be the buffer between them. My latest tests weren't good. My heart is strained, my arteries clogged and the doctors do not see a way to repair the damage in time to save my life unless I have a transplant and a by-pass surgery. Giuseppe tried (again) to talk me into taking his offer of a bribe to the 'right people' and I refused (again). He told me I was throwing my life away and stormed out of the Doctor's office._

_In a way, I can understand his anger, but I still cannot accept the gift of life when it means taking that precious gift from another. It's funny. I can't help but think how ironic is it that the very muscle that will eventually fail me, and take my life, is the one thing keeping me on the right path. I guess it's true. Life__ is__ full of irony. _

Elena's heart ached for the brutal decision Lily had been forced to make. How had she stayed so unselfish? It truly mystified Elena, but the more Elena read, the more she came to admire the woman.

**January 6****th**

_I put the boys to bed early tonight. Giuseppe is still livid after our conversation with my Doctors' and we had another row earlier—one I definitely did not want the boys to hear. My husband is so set in his ways that he cannot fathom the reasoning behind my decisions. He says I have given up, but I haven't. I have simply accepted my fate as God wills it. I pray every night for life, but Giuseppe does not know this since he rarely looks at me anymore. It is like I am already gone for him and it's for __this__ reason exactly that I will not allow him to tell our children. Giuseppe says I should prepare them, but how? There is nothing I can say that will make this news understandable, and since I want my children to have happy memories of me, not sad ones I think it best to keep my illness a secret. _

_Why is that so hard for Giuseppe to understand?_

Elena felt sick at how Lily had basically gone through her ordeal on her own. Her husband was obviously a domineering man who was used to getting his way, and yet, Lily stood up to him; for herself and for Damon. Elena couldn't help but wonder, how different would Damon have been if his mother had lived? It was a question that made Elena experience all kinds of sadness for the bitter man he was today.

************************************D&E***********************************

The Guest House:

The Salvatore guest house was really a three bedroom, 1,800 sq. foot condo with a large master bedroom, complete with the en-suite bathroom and king sized bed that dominated the room. All of which were things Damon was so fond of.

He had spent the better part of the last hour in the bed, trying to make the most of his booty call, however, to his shock his ever trusty dick was acting more like a frightened turtle, than the tall and proud soldier it normally was.

He pulled Andie's hand off his uninterested cock and flounced back on the pillow. "Jesus, this is crazy…what's wrong? This has never happened to me!" he complained, throwing an arm over his eyes as if it could block out the horror and embarrassment of this situation.

Andie lay on her side, her figure curled up next to his naked body. She trailed her nail over his well sculpted chest and abs. "You're kind of drunk…" she said as if making an excuse for his lack of performance.

Damon raised his arm and cracked open an eye to glare at her. "I've been drunker and still managed to get it up. This isn't the liquor talking here," he snapped. And it wasn't. Damon knew alcohol induced male malfunction and he wasn't nearly there yet. No, his trouble was Andie. She just wasn't '_her_'! Dammit, now even his dick was going on strike—the fucking Gilbert sisters were ruining him!

Andie started placing kisses down his chest, heading south of the border. "If you want I can try again to make it good for you…"

He stopped her. "Don't bother. I'm just…" He tried to come up with as clever excuse, besides saying 'Hey, sorry, but you just have the wrong hair color, the wrong eyes and your hips are too damned narrow!' Instead Damon pulled her up for a kiss. "Sorry, babe, I guess I'm just tired." He wriggled his brows and asked, "Rain check?"

Andie pouted for a moment and Damon winced as he mentally prepared for an argument, but then she nodded and he exhaled. Good. But, when she didn't make a move to get dressed, Damon gritted his teeth. Okay, she got that it wasn't going to pop for them tonight. Now, if she would only just…go. He didn't want to throw her out, but he suddenly wanted her gone ASAP. Jeez, why had he thought inviting Andie over had been a good idea again…?

***********************************D&E***********************************

As Damon was realizing the folly of his ways in trying to forget Elena, she was getting a glimpse into his last days with his mother. The next entry literally made the tears stream down her face and Elena's tender heart bled for Lily Salvatore.

**January 11****th**

_I fear my illness is getting worse. I find myself getting tired easily.__I cannot run and play like I used to just last week. The medication the Doctor has me on makes me so violently ill, I have stopped taking it. More often than not I find comfort in my chair by the bay windows in my room. I have felt Damon's inquisitive blue gaze on me constantly, as if he knows all is not right with me. It takes all my willpower not to squirm under his watchful eye. I suspect he knows something is wrong, but is too frightened to voice it aloud. Even Stefan has picked up on it and he asked me yesterday if I was okay. It breaks my heart to know I will be leaving them soon. On an even gloomier note, Giuseppe asked me how I wished to be buried today. I think he was trying to shock me and it did. It hit me then. I am going to die soon and I desperately do not wish to. Who will take care of my boys? Who will tuck them in at night and tell them a bedtime story? Giuseppe will take care of Stefan, but who will take care of Damon? Lupe will, (God bless her) but I fear Lupe's love will not be quite enough to keep Damon's sensitive heart safe. Giuseppe's disregard for Damon has given my eldest the notion that he's not good enough to be loved. I worry constantly if I'm not here to tell Damon how special he is—how will my son grow up? Will he be a bitter man like his father, or will he be the dynamic, passionate man I imagine him to be? It Hopefully Damon will meet a woman who will love him as fiercely as he deserves and they'll be happy together. It is my most fervent wish and one I ask God for nightly. _

_Tomorrow I want to take the boys on a boat ride down the river to fish and swim in the lake near the falls. I am conserving all my strength for this grand adventure. Fishing is an interest they have in common and finding those has become a favorite pastime of mine. I hope times like these will create a bond between them that Giuseppe's favoritism won't destroy later on. _

When Elena flipped to the next page and found no more entries, a small gasp left her when she realized Lily must have died shortly after that day. Did they ever go on the trip? She turned page after page, but they were all blank. It was heartbreaking and her shoulders slumped. She took a deep, shuddering breath, tears blurring her vision as she closed the book, and for a moment, she bowed her head for the woman who'd lived so valiantly for her children. Reading Lily's last thoughts and feelings had been devastating to her and she'd never met the woman. Elena could only imagine what Damon had thought as he read it. No wonder he was so angry sometimes. She completely understood now why Katherine's decision to marry Stefan had cut Damon so deeply. Why he treated women as expendable. Every woman he'd loved had left him-starting with his mother. It was tragic that Lily hadn't lived because Elena imagined Damon would be a totally different man if she had. He might not have fallen for Katherine, the woman who'd taken the wedge that Giuseppe had started and slammed it home; creating a harsh, gaping chasm between the brothers that was so wide, Elena wasn't sure if there was an olive branch alive that'd be strong enough to survive the trip across it.

Elena set the cherished book back inside Damon's drawer and sat there quietly for a moment as she reflected on everything she'd learned about the Salvatore brothers, both today and since she'd been here. Stefan, being the youngest, hadn't been forced to endure his father's ruthless demands; therefore, he'd been allowed to be a child. While Damon hadn't been afforded that luxury growing up; his father had insisted he live up to his role as his heir and it showed in the ruthless way Damon treated people today. Both brothers' were damaged, she was sure. However, Damon was far more complicated. On one hand he could be charming, charismatic and sexy as hell, but with a flip of the switch, he could be rude, insulting and cold as ice. His mother's words about him haunted Elena, making her want to dig deeper into the side of him that she'd glimpsed briefly—the playful, vulnerable man that teased her unmercifully; he was real. Elena was positive, and it was that side of Damon that she wanted to wrap her arms around and hold; cradling him to her chest until all his monsters went away.

Getting to her feet, Elena made up her mind. She would go and find him, get this whole sordid situation off her chest and come clean, like she had planned. Damon had wormed his way into her heart and settled there until he'd become vital to her. Elena knew if she wanted any kind of future relationship with him, it was time to tell him the truth. She wiped her hands on her jeans nervously before exiting his room. She wasn't fooling herself, what she was about to tell him might just ruin things between them, but she had to do it. He wasn't going to let it go and she was too honest to lie anymore. The deceit was killing her. They both needed the truth and it would be so much better coming from her rather than someone else.

***********************************D&E*********************************

Andie zipped her pencil thin black skirt and slipped her feet into her Jimmy Choos. Damon was reclining on the bed, looking beautiful and suddenly she didn't really want to leave. "You know," she said, desperately trying for nonchallant, yet failing, "if you want, I can go get some take out...you know and maybe we can just...I don't know, hang out…watch a movie." She came over to the side of the bed and ran a hand down his muscular chest to his belly. "Maybe if you get some food in you…things might perk up?"

Dinner and a movie? What did she think this was…a date? Damon barely resisted rolling his eyes at her. "Nah," he said, moving away from her touch and running a hand through his messy black hair. "I think we should abort this mission for tonight, but if you wouldn't mind handing me that bottle on your way out…I promise to make it up to you another time," he teased, wagging his brows at her and giving that smile of his that had women of all ages weak in the knees.

Andie sighed, but walked over to the side table where the bottle sat and picked it up anyhow. "Do you really think you need any more of this?" she asked, handing it to him.

Damon scowled. If he wanted to hear her nag at him, she'd be more than a part time fuck buddy! "I haven't had nearly enough, trust me." He patted the bottle. "At least my good buddy Jamieson here will never lie to me." He took a swig from the bottle. "Close the door on your way out, will you?" And just like that he was already tuning her out.

Andie glared at him. "I swear! I don't know why I put up with you!" she snapped, grabbing her small black purse and slinging the strap over her shoulder. "Call me when you're sober!" she called back at him over her shoulder as she exited the bedroom suite in the guest house.

"Then that'll be never!" Damon yelled after her, ignoring the extra slam she gave his door on the way out.

Good riddance! He thought as he cradled his bottle. Women! He should swear off them for a while—they were nothing, but trouble.

He heard the front door open again and thinking it was Andie coming back, he yelled from the bedroom. "What did you forget your panties?"

To his surprise, the bedroom door opened to reveal Elena—or at least he thought it was Elena. To add consternation to his shock, she looked pissed and (surely his mind was playing tricks on him) hurt, too.

"No, I'm pretty sure I'm still wearing mine, but I'm assuming someone else did," she sniped. "Wow! I can't believe how wrong I was about you. You're irredeemable! You don't care about anyone, but yourself, do you?"

It took Damon all of a second to snap out of his inertia, and to Elena's fury he started to laugh at her. "Oh, this is too much," he said, "_You_ calling _me _out for my bad behavior!"

His words he lit a spark in Elena. All her pent up emotions and anger exploded and she just blew up, calling upon the language she'd learned to use when trying to fit in with the boys in boot camp. "You are such a fucking filthy pig! What won't you fuck?! Does it have to have two legs or four? Aren't you worried one day your dick might just shrivel up or fall off? Or do you like playing Russian-Roulette with your cock?!"

Elena went on and on, jealousy and disappointment driving her as she rained down her fury in a potty-mouthed diatribe that had Damon staring at her in opened mouth shock.

Damon was silent as she unleashed her wrath down upon on him, calling him names he was pretty sure would have a marine blushing! Finally when it looked like she'd run out of steam, and she had no more insults to throw his way, he crossed his arms over his naked chest and merely raised a brow at her. "Are you done? Because, I don't think you've gotten around to insulting my dog yet?"

Elena dragged her eyes away from his far too tempting figure lying there so decadently and obviously naked. The white sheet that covered his groin and one leg seemed to inspire her imagination to run wild, rather than provide the coverage it was designed for. "You don't have a dog," she muttered. "However, you may be one," she added with a brittle smile. She had been ready to pour her heart out to him and he'd been here getting his jollies with some tramp! It made Elena sick to her stomach.

Enough was enough! Damon had had a hell of a day and he really didn't need her coming into his sanctuary and acting all holier than thou. "You've got a lot of balls," he said, shaking his head, "I'll give you that. Talk about nerve. Coming in here, breaking balls and chastising me on morality! Wow! That's fucking hilarious!"

Elena had a moment of a sickening sensation of dread before he dropped the bombshell.

"What are you even doing here, anyways? Shouldn't you and Steffie be in Barbados by now?"

And just like that, the tide turned and all the angry wind was sapped from Elena's sails. Her full-steam-ahead anger wilted to no-steam-left mortification.

"Wh-what did you say?"

"Did I stutter?" he shot back.

He knew! Elena fought the urge to be sick. "Damon…"

"Answer the question," he prompted. "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be off pretending to be Katherine and seducing her husband?" he asked, an ugly twist to his sensual mouth, "After all, that _was_ the agreement, right?"

When she remained frozen and mute, Damon made a *tsking* sound. "Oh come on, Elena. You had so much to say a minute ago. You've got quite the vocabulary there," he taunted. "Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?" His gaze darkened and he his lip curled derisively. "Or better yet…Did you kiss my brother with that mouth?"

It struck Elena like a bolt of lightning. He was jealous. He was also furious, and with good cause. Kat must have thrown her under the bus today. She should have known her sister would save her own ass first. Elena wanted to kick herself for not telling him the truth earlier.

She didn't see any way out of this situation, so she decided to do what she'd intended from the start. She would simply tell him the truth. "I didn't go with Stefan," she told him softly, but clearly.

Damon nodded and made an *hmmm* sound. "I think that's pretty obvious," he said with a smirk, "but that _was_ you, not Kat, who left with him earlier, right?"

Elena gave a small, imperceptible nod. The tables had turned so swiftly and now it was Elena who was on the defensive with Damon looking at _her_, like she was something awful he'd stepped in. It made her cringe inside. "Damon, let me explain…"

"Explain what, Elena? Explain why you lied to me when I asked you to tell me the truth or maybe you'd like to explain how you agreed to fuck Stefan, so that your sister could worm her way back into my bed? Is that what you'd like to explain? Because, if you can…" He waved a hand, giving a short bitter laugh. "Be my guest. I've been wracking my brain all day, trying to find a reasonable explanation for it and I've gotta tell you, I've got zip! And you know why?" he growled, pinning her to the spot with his livid blue gaze, "Because there_ is_ no reasonable explanation for that kind of twisted logic! That's why!"

Elena's spirit kicked in and she raised her chin. "Hey, you aren't the victim here. Your affair with Katherine started this whole sordid ordeal!"

He rolled his eyes. "God and don't I know it!" he muttered, raking his hand through his hair. He took a deep swallow from his bottle, enjoying the burn for a moment before he added, "Trust me, I take my share of the blame here for setting Katherine on this little obsession of hers, but what I _do not_ and _will not _take responsibility for, is your actions." Elena wanted to shrivel up and simply disappear underneath his accusing glare. "I gave you plenty of opportunities to come clean with me, but you didn't. You left with Stefan today. It doesn't matter you didn't actually get on the plane—" He stopped midstride. "Which reminds me, why didn't you? You and Stef looked oh-so cozy when you left."

Elena wanted to lie—desperately, but she had already come to the decision to come clean and she was determined to uphold that choice. "Katherine called. We hadn't switched phones and then Stefan got called to the Hospital."

He gave another short, bitter laugh. "_So_, if Kat hadn't called and Saint Stefan wouldn't have had to go running off to be the hero—you would have went?"

"No!" she denied hotly, and then just as quickly changed her answer. "Yeah, maybe, I guess. I don't know." It was as if the air was getting sucked from her lungs. Her chest ached. Her stomach churned and she felt sick. She wrapped her arms around her middle as if it would stop the cramping. "I didn't want to, but I felt like I didn't have a choice."

"You had a choice, Elena!" he snarled. "I gave you an out. You didn't take it. You decided to prostitute yourself instead!"

She reared back as if he'd physically assaulted her and tears sprang to her eyes at his cruel words. "God! How can you say that?! It wasn't like that," she cried. "I never planned on sleeping with Stefan! I had a plan to make sure that didn't happen."

"Wow! I hope that's not the story you're sticking with, coz, I gotta tell you…not your best effort. Maybe if you cried a bit more it might sound more believable."

"You're an ass!" she snapped and spun on her heel to leave.

Damon laughed, but it was harsh and acerbic sounding. "Better than being a whore!" he yelled after her.

Elena flew back into the room. She was so mad she literally saw red as she pounced on him. She drew her hand back and let it fly, slapping him across the face so hard, that Damon had to wonder if his grandchildren would still hear the ringing in their ears.

"You bastard!" she spat, raining down blows on his head. "I am not a whore. If anyone is a whore it's you! A man whore, who sleeps with anything with a pulse, so don't you dare sit there and judge me you son of a bitch!"

He fended off most of her blows, before he finally put a halt to her assault on his person by grabbing her wrists and shaking her so hard, her head snapped back and forth. "Do that again and I fucking swear to you, you'll regret it."

Real fear slithered up her spine at the fury in his eyes, but Elena's instincts kicked in and she didn't even think first, she simply reacted by head-butting him.

Damon saw stars for a moment, before his anger soared and he hauled her onto the bed, intent on punishing her like she'd just went off on him. He rolled them so that she was pinned under his superior body weight, intending to have her under control, but she went wild under him, bucking and struggling underneath him. Damon almost groaned aloud when his recalcitrant penis finally decided to join the party and the more she fought with him, the more aroused he got.

"Settle down!" he bit out, neatly avoiding her blows as he tried to keep her from doing any major damage. She was crafty and stronger than she looked. He'd already barely missed being made a eunuch when her knee went straight for the family jewels and just missed. "Elena, stop!" he all but shouted in her face.

"Then get off!" she snarled.

"Keep wriggling like that and I just might!"

At his snarky comment, they both froze, the intimacy of their position hitting them like a punch to the gut. Damon was in between Elena's thighs, and at some time during their struggles, the sheet had been lost. Damon's erection got painfully hard as he realized he was only her jeans kept him out of her delicious heat. Elena's shirt had been torn and the lacy cup of the hot pink bra she was wearing was peeking out where her shirt had ripped. Damon licked his lips as his eyes zeroed in on that bit of delectable lace and what it contained.

"Fuck," he breathed, unconsciously tightening his grip on her wrists.

Elena sensed the change immediately and her heart sped up for all new reasons. The ache in her stomach headed south and centered between her legs as she watched him lick his lips. "Damon, get off me." Her wrists ached, but the emptiness inside hurt more and it took all of Elena's control not to rub against him shamelessly.

"I'm going to kiss you," he whispered raggedly, instead of letting her go.

Elena shook her head frantically. She wasn't sure who she was trying to convince, him or herself with her denial. "We can't," she murmured, her eyes glued to his mouth. "This is insane. We're fighting." His head dipped, bringing his impossibly succulent looking lips closer and Elena tried one more Hail Mary to stop him. "But, you hate me!"

Damon didn't answer. If this was hate, then he would hate her long and hard. If this was insanity, then he was all for crazy! Because, despite the anger and pain, Damon suddenly realized, there was nothing he wanted more, than to taste her sweet lips again.

"Oh God," Elena moaned just as his mouth settled over hers in a slow, drugging kiss, that left her breathless and had her toes curling in her boots.

Damon could only agree whole heartedly. Oh God was right. But, as she opened for him and allowed his tongue access, prayers seemed to be a moot point. His were already being answered. Only Elena tasted like a slice of heaven, while still making him hot as hell!

In his aroused state, his hold on her arms loosened and Elena was able to pull her hands free. However, instead of pushing him off her, she tunneled her fingers through his messy hair and kissed him back with full force. Their tongues dueled, their breaths mingling hotly while they danced the mating ritual of dominance; both of them giving in and embracing the passion that had been simmering between them ever since they'd first laid eyes on one another.

His hands went to her jeans and the *ziiipp* of her zipper was loud in the room. Elena closed her eyes, burying her face in the pillow next to her as she allowed him to slide her jeans down her thighs. Just then, a scent on the pillow got her attention. It was perfume and it wasn't her brand. Like a bucket of ice water dumped on her head, Elena was reminded that he'd just had another woman in this bed.

Damon dragged her jeans down her legs and tugged them off, tossing them on the floor.

"No! No! We can't," Elena groaned, bringing her knees up and clenching her thighs together, keeping him at bay.

Stunned, Damon was forcefully ripped from his sexually aroused stupor when her thighs closed like a bear trap and he was suddenly left out in the cold. He blinked at her, at a loss as to what caused her sudden about face. "What are you talking about?" he panted, very close to whining, he was so turned on. "Why can't we?"

Elena tossed the pillow at him. "I can smell her perfume, Damon. It's kind of a mood killer."

Damon caught a whiff of the perfume Andie always wore as the pillow sailed past his head and gave a low groan of understanding. "We didn't…"

"Don't lie to me, Damon. Her perfume is in your bed!"

His brows drew down sharply. "Me lie to you?" He laughed harshly. "Oh, that's rich coming from you!" He shook his head and grabbed the sheet from the bottom of the bed and wrapped it sarong style around his waist. "You know what? Forget it," he bit out, tucking the end at his waist. "Why am I even explaining myself to you? You took off with my own brother today to do God knows what! As a matter of fact, maybe you already did." He stretched out over her, planting his hands on either side of her shoulders. "Is that your angle here? Already took one Salvatore out for a test drive and now you want to trade up to the better looking model?"

Elena shoved him off her and sat up in a huff. "You are such an asshole!" She sat at the edge of the bed and started to desperately look for her clothes.

Damon flopped back on the bed and smirked at her. "Yeah and you're a tease."

"I wasn't teasing you. I just don't want to sleep with you where you just had sex with another woman! Is that so hard for you to understand?!"

He wriggled his brows, doing his eye thing. "Who said anything about sleeping?"

Elena gave a strangled cry of fury. "Never mind. You're just hopeless. Why do I even care?"

He was on his knees in a heartbeat, grabbing her arm, effectively halting her from leaving his bed. "Do you?"

"Do I what?" she asked, trying to pull her arm away, but his grip tightened almost painfully. "Damon, you're hurting me."

His expression was intense as he searched her face. "Do you care?" he reiterated, still holding onto her arm, but relaxing his grasp slightly.

She stopped struggling to pull away as his fathomless blue eyes seemed to see right inside her soul and pull the truth from her. "Yes," she answered softly. "I don't know why and sometimes I wish I didn't, but I do. I care about you."

"I didn't sleep with another woman tonight," Damon impulsively confessed.

It wasn't much of an olive branch, but for him, it was something. A small smile curved her lips upwards. "You didn't?"

He shook his head. "I was going to." He shrugged, as if trying to make his admission less meaningful. "Wanted to, actually, but…I couldn't."

Elena knew he'd had some of the tainted alcohol, but that had been hours before. It wouldn't have affected him this long. That meant he couldn't, because he hadn't wanted to. "Why?" she asked, edging closer to him, so that she could face him and see his eyes when he answered her question.

"Does it really matter?" he quipped, glancing away from her steady browned eyed gaze.

"It does to me," she replied, placing her hand on the side of his face and turning him, so that he was looking at her again.

Once again, she was egging him on, daring him to take her bait.

Damon wasn't one to mince words and he'd never been afraid of a dare or the truth, but for once in his life, he wanted to run away from both. He didn't. It wasn't in his nature.

"I didn't have sex with her, because she wasn't who I wanted. She was a distraction and a lousy one at that," he replied with brutal honesty.

Elena paused for several seconds, her heart racing. He hadn't slept with whatever bimbo he'd had here because of her. He hadn't come out and said it, but she knew it without having to hear it. It wasn't a declaration of love by any means, but with all the murky waters of mistrust and miscommunication still roiling between them, Elena decided it was enough to make her take the chance on believing in him.

She got off the bed and took his hand. Damon glanced down at their interlocked fingers and raised a brow. Elena didn't respond, she simply tugged and he allowed her to pull him from the bed and into the bathroom.

"Really?" he commented when she turned the water on in the shower, "Washing away our sins?" His lip curled. "I think you're a little late for me, sweetheart."

"Not washing away our sins. Just conserving water," she said, turning on the cold just a tad to make the water was hot, but not scalding. She caught Damon staring at her ass in the mirror and her belly clenched with desire. She wanted him, and for once in her life, Elena wanted to throw caution to the wind, rip a page out of Katherine's playbook, and simply take what she desired. She turned to face him, shoulders back, proud. The lust in his eyes made her feel bold, so she reached behind her back, and (before she could even debate her actions) unfastened her bra. It slid down her shoulders and Elena let it drop to the ground, giving Damon his first view of her breasts.

"Sometimes sinning is good," she said huskily.

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**Okay, I know...that was cruel to leave it there, but the next chappie is pretty much going to be one of my epic smut chappies and for those of you who aren't into that (though why you're reading my fic-is beyond me) you can simply skip that chappie and move on when the next chappie is posted. Anyhow, hope you liked all the emotions in this one. Damon and Elena needed to explode a little and believe me, it isn't over yet. ;)**

**So, click the button, feed the musie and that fickle little beeyatch will feed me. Kay? Good. :)**

**Jen**


	11. Chapter 11

**All's Fair in Love and War **

A fic by: Jen a/k/a Angel's Blue Eyed Girl

Rating: Okay, boys and girls, this is the place where this fic definitely earns the **M** rating. If you are too young or smut is *not* your thing, please do not read this chappie.

**A/N:** I know I haven't responded to reviews yet, but I am editing this fic and trying to get it completely finished so that I can continue to just post-post-post on it! I figured you guys would rather have another chappie than a pm from me. Tell me if I was wrong and I'll get right on the pm's.

I do want to tell each and every person who reviewed… thank you. It really does mean a lot. I am getting a very warm welcome back here and it's making the old musie happy enough to have helped me almost completely re-do this entire chappie. I love it now…I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

**Oh and btw: This is *all* smut, people. You've been warned.**

Jen

*********************************D&E*********************************

**Chappie 11**

**Salvatore guest house: **

When she dropped the bra, Damon visibly swallowed; his eyes drawn to her perfect and perky breasts as if all the world's mysteries could be found there, emblazoned across her chest. His palms actually itched to cup and hold the firm globes in his hands and see if they felt as good as they looked.

In two strides he was in front of her. He wrapped an arm around her tiny waist and yanked her forward, so that her firm, flat belly was flush against his own rock hard abs and her soft, full breasts were pressed against the solid wall of his chest. "Sinning isn't just sometimes good," he growled roughly, wrapping his free hand in the hair at the base of her skull and tugging her head back to give him access to her swan like neck. He dipped his head, his breath hot against her flesh. "It's always good," he purred, moving up to her ear. His tongue laved the sensitive skin there, before taking a little bite of the fleshy lobe and sending white hot shivers racing along her spine.

Elena whimpered softly, but not because he'd hurt her. He hadn't pulled her hair that hard and his bite was more seductive than painful, but he was so dominant. Elena (surprisingly) found it was a turn on to be manhandled just a bit, especially when most of the men she knew were intimidated by her military training. Damon never seemed to have that problem.

Her arms looped around his neck as she offered up her lips, desperate to taste him again. The magic he wielded in his kiss was both exhilarating and frightening simultaneously. He didn't have a good track record with women, Elena was well aware of that. However, she sensed the difference when he looked at her and she was ready to take a chance and allow him to get closer.

"Yes," she acquiesced. Letting him know she wanted this as badly as he did.

Damon did want her—badly. But he wanted something else too. He wanted the truth. It was driving him crazy and he needed some kind of explanation from her. He grabbed her by her shoulders and hunkered down so that they were eye to eye. "Listen, we need to talk. I want this. I do, but I have to know….why did you agree to Katherine's scheme. Was it only for the money?"

Elena didn't want to talk, but she realized Damon was going to call an end to things if she didn't give him something here. She had made up her mind to tell the truth, but saying it and doing it, were two entirely different things. One was easy, the other—terrifying!

But again, Elena wasn't a coward. She refused to start acting like one now. "No," she admitted. "Well, actually, at first it was," she reiterated, "I needed it for Jeremy."

Damon nodded. "I know. But why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't really know you…at least not right away and then I thought you were an ass," she admitted without thinking.

Damon chuckled. "Yeah, I got that. But after that day in your room, Elena, I thought we were beginning to trust each other. I told you I would help you. Hell, I practically begged you to tell me what was going on, because I knew _something_ was going on!"

"I know," she said, "and that day I wanted to. I did, because I had already realized I was starting to have feelings for you."

"Then why didn't you tell me?"

"Because, I was afraid to tell you!" she cried. "I thought you'd think I was disgusting." She crossed her arms over her chest. This was an awkward way to be having this conversation. "I thought I was disgusting! Why wouldn't you?"

Her grief was so obvious, Damon pulled her to him. He had been right all along. It was a relief. "I would have helped you. You should have told me," he whispered into her hair. "But, it's over now. Kat can't hurt you anymore, Lena."

Elena almost sobbed in relief that he seemed to be ready to forgive her. "I know," she said, "but Kat threatened me and I caved." She shook her head, sad and angry at herself. "I wanted to tell you the truth." She raised watery brown eyes. "Please believe me. I really did."

Damon wanted to discuss the whole ordeal, but at the same time he didn't. He glanced to the shower. Maybe washing away their sins wasn't such a bad idea after all. Lord knew he was no angel. Neither was she, but she was right. Who was he to judge her and vice-versa?

His hands rubbed comforting circles on her naked back. "I do believe you." He put a finger under her chin and tipped it up so that he could look into her eyes. "Now, I want you to believe me. You and I are going to get your brother away from the Första brothers. They are bad news, Elena and if you love your brother like I think you do, then you don't want him anywhere near those guys. I'll help you and we can do this together." His blue eyes were intense as they met her chocolate brown gaze. "Do you believe me?"

She didn't even hesitate in answering him. "Yes. I believe you." Elena wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her cheek against the solid wall of his chest. "I'm sorry for betraying you."

He placed a soft kiss on her brow. He felt light as a feather and happier than he had in years and it was all because of her. He froze as a sudden, breathtaking and sickening sensation slithered up his spine and into his guts, twisting them up and turning them into knots of tension. He was falling in love with her. And just-like-that, like a car crash, hitting him without warning, he knew it wasn't falling with an 'ing', it was fallen with an 'en'. Damon wasn't falling in love, he had fallen already! For just a moment his vision blurred and his entire world did a tilt-a-whirl. It was like getting kicked in the balls and he felt sick for a moment. His first instinct was to shove her away and run and far and as fast as he could, but he forced that reaction away and stayed where he was. She had trusted him with her truth and while there was no way in hell, he was going to tell her he was in love her. Things were way too unstable for that, but he_ could_ stay and take a chance to let her in.

And that is just what he did.

He gazed down into her face. "You didn't betray me, Elena. You betrayed yourself, because this person…what you were doing…it isn't who you are."

Stunned he could see that so clearly, Elena could only nod.

"I'm only going to ask you to tell me the truth for now on. Kat isn't one to give up easily."

"I know," Elena said.

"But, if you and I are honest with each other, then she can't do her usual damage. Okay?"

Elena blinked back her tears. She almost pinched herself to see if she was dreaming, because this conversation was what she had hoped for when she'd first come here seeking him out. "I promise," she said. "No more lies."

She debated confessing to reading his mother's journal, but decided to save that for later. She wanted this one night with him. Just one little secret-selfish night' and then she'd tell him about reading Lily's journal. She'd meant what she had just said. She didn't want any more lies between them. However, one emotional battle a day was plenty. She could confess her snooping tomorrow. That was her secret and hers only and she didn't have to worry about Kat ratting her out this time.

With some of their issues settled, Damon became very aware that she was half naked again. "I think we're wasting water," he said, motioning to the shower. "Do you still want to…?"

Damon was surprised to realize he was nervous. He hadn't been nervous with a girl since he first played doctor with the neighbor girl, Candy Taylor, at the ripe old age of ten. "Elena, if you're not sure…" He closed his eyes unable to actually believe he was giving her an out. "If you want to wait." He sighed. "I'll wait."

It was probably the most romantic and tender thing she'd ever seen from him. It wasn't a promise to love her or to even take it further than tonight, but it was a start.

"I don't want to wait," she whispered, bringing his head down.

He grunted. It was a sound that was pure male satisfaction, and then his mouth was on hers, and in an instant, it was rockets-red-glare and fireworks all over again.

He kissed her with feeling this time. His tongue swept into her mouth and laid waste to all her fears. He conquered her with a kiss and Elena was tired of fighting her attraction to this devastatingly gorgeous man. His hands slid down her back to grab her ass and her stomach and core clenched so hard with desire, that a small gush of fluids soaked her panties. She wrapped a leg around his hips and began to grind against him, seeking the friction she needed to ease the ache in her belly.

The steam filling the bathroom was getting dense, adding to the hotness of their foreplay. Damon's hold tightened and he lifted her a bit higher, introducing the entryway to her femininity to the hard on that was trying to poke its way through the sheet around his waist. Elena gave a low moan and her nails dug into his shoulders at the added pressure to her sweet spot. Her hands went to the sheet that kept him hidden from her and tugged; she wanted it gone. However, Damon had wrapped the damned thing around his waist a few times and Elena had a hard time getting it off him. He let go of her rear end long enough to impatiently shove the sheet down until he could step out of it. He opened the shower door and maneuvered them inside, still kissing her as he pulled the glass door closed after them. The hot water cascading over their bodies from the rain nozzle located high above their heads, made them both groan with pleasure. Damon grabbed two handfuls of Elena's perfect heart shaped ass and hiked her slick body up higher, taking a few steps forward, he pressed Elena's back against the wall of the shower. He bucked his hips forward, rubbing his erection against the soaking wet slip of lace that barred his entrance into the fiery furnace that (he already knew) was going to be his own personal version of nirvana.

He was hard, and ready, but Elena wanted the intimacy of actually taking a shower with him, before the actual shower sex. They had fixed some of their problems, but not all. It was still a start and before today, she hadn't even had that. She'd had her nighttime hours of fantasizing, but it had always left her aching for more. Now that she could finally touch him like she wanted, she wanted to bask in it without feeling guilt or the accusing stare of Katherine burning down her neck!

She pulled her head back, breaking the connection of their mouths. "Wait," she gasped, trying to catch her breath.

He reared back, as breathless as she was, eyes bugging as his thoughts careened wildly at the mere idea that she was calling a halt to things. Not after their talk! "You're kidding!" he panted. "Elena…if you're playing with me here…"

"No!" she hastily reassured him. "I want this." She took his hand and placed a kiss on his knuckles. "I want you. You know that I do."

"Then what's the problem?" he asked, his voice taking on a desperate edge. "We want each other. We've cleared the air about a lot of the bullshit. Not really seeing a reason to stop."

"I just want to take a minute and appreciate how pretty you are. I've never been able to just look at you and now I can," she said softly, her eyes focusing on his perfect, nearly hairless chest, admiring the way the hair he did have sprinkled just around his nipples and then disappeared altogether. "Do you mind?" she asked softly, biting her lip as she rolled the dice that Damon was the romantic at heart she was beginning to think he was.

Damon groaned. She was adorable. His (already inflated) ego swelled to gigantic proportions, along with his erection, and he couldn't remember a time when he'd ever been so thoroughly bewitched with a woman, even though she had essentially emasculated him, by calling him a pretty boy.

He rested his forehead against hers as he willed his hard on to stand down. "Are you trying to kill me?" he asked, his usually snarky voice a little whinier than Elena had ever heard. "Because if you are," he added, his usual sarcasm returning, "Blue Balls is a slow and painful way to go. Trust me—I saw the band in Vegas. Just stake me in the heart now. I'd rather it be quick and painless."

Elena giggled happily. He was taking her reducing the speed of their union just as she had hoped he would. "No, I am not trying to kill you. I just…want to touch you," she said, smiling softly as her reticence gave way to her intense desire to put her hands on him. She picked up his body wash and poured some into her hand. It was expensive and smelled delicious. It was one of the scents she associated with Damon.

"Turn around," she said, rubbing the soap together in her hands to build up a good lather. "I'll wash your back."

For once in his life, Damon promptly did as he was asked without a single one of his usual suggestive or snarky comments. Having Elena's hands on him was something he dreamed about nightly. As a matter of fact, one the most intense and satisfying orgasm he'd experienced in months was fantasizing about her giving him a blow job in the shower!

"Hold on," he said and flipped a few nozzles on the shower controls.

Elena watched in awe as the water spray from the rain nozzle slowed down to a light stream, like a soft rain and two panels on either side of the shower walls opened and a sultry hot mist started spraying very lightly from the tiny jets there. "That's amazing," she said softly. Now their shower wouldn't be hindered by water in the eyes or nose and mouth. It was more like a steam bath.

"This is perfect," she said staring at the broad expanse of his back, deciding which delicious spot on his body she wanted to start with first.

He was breathing deeply, his hands clenched against the tiled wall of the shower, acting as if she planned to torture him. She wanted to laugh, but he might take it the wrong way and could very well leave her standing in the shower alone, so she kept her giggles at bay. She supposed, to Damon, being out of total control was a form of torture. It made her cherish what he was giving her all the more.

"Thank you," she whispered, deciding to start at his shoulders. She placed her soapy hands on the sculpted, well rounded muscles she found there and slid them over and along his firm flesh, kneading gently as she worked in a massage along with the body wash.

Damon didn't answer. Her hands on his skin had rendered him mute. He closed his eyes and just enjoyed the sensations, but when the turgid tips of her breasts rubbed against his back, he had to grit his teeth to stop himself from squirming. Her nipples were so hard, he could feel them through layers of skin and muscles.

Elena didn't notice his lack of response. She was lost in the sensation of finally having him all to herself. It was sublime. His body was an exquisite tapestry of everything Elena found pleasing to the touch. He was all warm, supple skin that contrasted appealingly with the hard lines of bone and sinew that made up his physique. He was male virility in its truest form, and Elena took a moment to appreciate the way his muscles rippled, before smoothing her palms down his back, massaging his tense muscles, as she lathered him up.

Damon relaxed into her touch. It actually felt heavenly. Her thumbs ran along his spine and he practically purred as she worked out a kink there that had been bothering him for about a week.

"God, that feels so good," he breathed, bracing his arm across the smooth stone tiles of the shower wall. His forehead dropped onto his forearm and he sighed in bliss when her palms ran up and down his back, working out the tension that had seemed to be there for as long as he could remember.

She leaned into him, standing on her tip-toes and rubbing her wet naked breasts against his soapy back. "See, no killing. Just lots of rubbing," she breathed against his neck. "Happy now?"

Damon's eyes fluttered open and he glanced at her over his shoulder. His smile was almost dreamy. "Very," he said simply, having already come to the conclusion that maybe letting her get her way wasn't so horrible after all.

Elena went back to work on his back and shoulders. Damon wasn't an overly large man, but he was perfectly put together; lean and lithe, with a sleek, powerful physique. He was like a dangerous predator. Breathtaking, but terrifying too. It dawned on her in that instant that she was in love with him. Elena's hands faltered for a moment. She had seen it coming a week ago, she'd tried to fight it, but it had happened just the same.

Damon glanced at her over his shoulder again and his sexy smile made her insides quiver with need.

"You okay?" he asked.

She slowly nodded. And she was okay. As a matter of fact, she was more than okay. She was in love, but that was another thing that was her secret and hers only. She'd tell him, but not tonight. He really might jump out of the shower and run then…

"I'm fine," she said, picking up his body wash and pouring more into her palm. "I just realized I could spend all night simply touching you and I'd be happy."

Damon chuckled huskily. "Just when I thought you couldn't get any more perfect…you do."

She laughed, but as her hands went back to his warm skin, she realized it really was true. She actually could spend hours simply touching the steely contours of his flesh. He was simply that sexy. She used her thumbs again to slide up his back and under his shoulder blades and he shuddered under her touch, moaning softly with pleasure. Her hands moved lower and she watched in fascination as the muscles in his flanks tightened. She stayed on her path of wicked intentions, her fingers gliding over the strong, muscular planes of his back for several long moments, before heading toward the sensual dip at the base of his spine. She paused, staring at his high, tight buttocks. He truly was a spectacular specimen of male beauty. Even his bum was perfect. She poured some more soap on her hands and moved to his side. She knelt down, almost on her knees. Out of her peripheral vision, she saw a brief glimpse of Damon's hand gripping the base of his penis and she gulped. She couldn't really see it, because of the angle she was at, but it was jutting out from his body pretty far and that meant it was really big. The thought of that monster pushing its way inside her made her more than a little nervous.

She looked away, reminding herself that women had babies every day and while Damon appeared to be well endowed, he could not possibly be as big as a baby! She shook off her nerves and focused on washing his legs. She slid her hands down each sleekly muscled thigh and calf, loving the hair roughened texture of the corded strength she found there. She even washed his feet…well, one foot, actually. She never got to the second foot, because Damon jumped and let out a spontaneous burst of laughter when she slid her fingers along the instep of his foot and between his toes

"Stop that!" he gasped, letting out a sound that almost sounded like a strangled giggle when she wiggled her fingers. He yanked his foot out of her grasp. "Your evil! I knew you were going to torture me!" he mockingly accused, but his smile told her he was enjoying this version of shower sex, far more than he'd ever let on.

She got to her feet grinning. "You're ticklish," she stated, as if superbly proud of herself for finding his weak spot.

"How about we see if you are too?" he playfully threatened and started to turn around, obviously preparing to launch his own tickle attack.

However, as fun as playing with him was, Elena was almost desperately turned on and she wanted to finish washing him down. There were still so many places on his body that she had obsessed over in the last few weeks. She wanted to touch, taste and feel them all. So, she played dirty again and stopped him dead in his tracks by giving in to the temptation to touch his damned near perfect butt. She brazenly slid her palms along the rounded muscles, biting back her smile when he gasped and froze where he stood. She cupped the taut flesh for a moment, before giving the firm globes a delicious squeeze.

Damon let out a breathless groan when she palmed his ass and groped him. He hadn't expected it and her desire to practically worship his body was really getting him hot and bothered. She was playing with fire by fondling him that way, and took all his willpower to not toss her against the nearest wall and simply ram himself inside the slick, wet heat of her.

"Elena," he panted softly, placing his palms flat against the heated tiles of the shower, in order to keep them off her. His body was screaming for release and while he enjoyed the tension she was causing, he was fast reaching the end of his rope. "You're killing me here."

Elena took a step back. "Turn around," she whispered, her voice low and husky with desire. She was finally ready for the 'Full-Monty-Damon-Experience'.

Again, Damon obeyed without hesitation. 'Finally!' was all he could think as he turned around and let her get her first (long awaited and anticipated) look at what he had in store for her.

With a will of their own, Elena's eyes dropped to the rampant erection he was sporting and she gasped as she took in the size and girth of his penis. "Oh my," she said without thinking. It really was rather large. Elena worried her bottom lip.

If his life had depended on it, Damon couldn't have stopped the short, dry chuckle that bubbled past his lips at her reaction. "I take it you like what you see, Ms. Gilbert?" he teased, placing his hands on his narrow hips and practically posing as she ogled him. If he'd been a peacock, his feathers would be fanned wide and proud, he was so pleased with the way she seemed to be utterly in thrall of his body.

"Yes," she said honestly and reached for the body wash again.

Damon snatched it from her hands. "Unh-uh, my turn," he said. "If you touch me anymore, this is going to be over before it even begins." He said it teasingly, but there was an underlying truth there. He was more turned on than he could ever remember being; his body humming with the need to find relief. If her soft hands even brushed his erection, he just might embarrass himself, and that would never do.

Elena pouted. She wanted to run her hands along the bronze expanse of his naked chest and down his rock hard abdominals until she got to his 'not-so-little-Damon' and took it out for a test drive. When he moved, she could see his pectoral muscles flex, his abs rippling under taut skin, and she desperately wanted to feel all those muscles bunching powerfully under her fingertips.

Stubbornly, she grabbed the bottle back. "You said I could touch you. I'm not finished yet."

Damon gritted his teeth. He loved that she seemed so fascinated with him, but this was becoming torturous. "But_ I_ will be, if you don't stop," he explained brusquely, trying to get her to catch his drift without actually having to tell her 'If you touch my dick, I _will _come!'

Elena was well aware of what he meant, but she was enraptured with her newfound freedom to boldly conquer what had previously been forbidden territory. She knew it was fighting dirty, but she really wanted to continue her exploration of Damon's perfect body, so she raised her big doe eyes and let her lower lip protrude just a bit.

"Please?" she asked, glancing up at him under her lashes.

Damon's lip curled. She couldn't have been more obvious if she had a sign around her neck that said 'I'm going to use my feminine wiles to manipulate you now.' He shook his head. "Using the lip—that's just playing dirty, Gilbert," he growled, but he was already caving and they both knew it.

"Fuck!" he muttered when he saw her victorious little smile. "Fine," he said lowering his arms. "I'm putty in your hands, you know that don't you?"

Elena placed her palms on his chest and leaned up to place a gentle kiss on his lips. It was their first that wasn't a prerequisite to a mind-boggling make out session. "No, I think you're wonderful for allowing me to have my way with you."

Damon rolled his eyes. "Bullshit! You're just happy you got your way." He took a deep breath, relaxed his body, willed his irrepressible penis to stay strong, and finally, when he felt he had himself under control, he nodded.

"Okay, I'm ready. Touch away."

He would later thank Elena, God in heaven and any other deity he could pray to, for uttering those famous last words.

Feeling especially giddy that he was giving in to her desires, Elena decided to push the envelope and let the last of her walls down. "Close your eyes," she murmured.

Not at all comfortable in the role as a submissive partner, Damon shook his head. "Unh-uh, I don't think so," he replied.

Elena went for the tried and true method and asked him nicely while batting her lashes at him.

He smirked. "That only works the first time." She looked like he'd just kicked her puppy and Damon frowned as he resisted the urge to just give her what she wanted. He was becoming a push over and it didn't sit well with him. Not at all! "First tell me why?"

Realizing he was having trust issues and understanding why, Elena decided to give him a clue. She ran her hand down her belly to her panties. She toyed with the lacy strap secured around her hips, before letting her hand drift down over her the sheer wet lace to cup her overheated sex. Her smile was almost cheeky and Damon audibly gulped as it dawned on him what she was implying.

"Trust me, you'll like your surprise," she whispered.

"I'm trusting you to make that promise a reality, Elena," he muttered, but closed his eyes just the same.

Elena shimmied out of her wet panties and tossed them over the shower door. As soon as they landed with a wet *plop* Damon's eyes snapped open and he immediately honed in on the mound of downy wet curls at the juncture of her thighs. He swallowed hard. "Wow," was all he seemed capable of saying. He briefly wondered where his mind had escaped to, but it didn't matter. She was naked and he was finally getting a look-see at that secret place he oh-so desperately wanted to be inside.

Elena pretended to be put out. "You peeked. I didn't say you could open your eyes!"

Damon did his eye thing that made her knees weak. "You didn't say I couldn't either."

Elena's laugh was spontaneous and infectious. Damon's own smile widened in response. She grabbed his soap again, (he might have to buy more after this shower) and poured a huge dollop into her hands.

"Seriously…? More soap? I think this is your way of saying I'm dirty," he complained.

"You are dirty—dirty minded, but I don't mind," she said. "Actually, I kind of think I like it."

"Elena…" he warned.

But she was intently focused on his shower soap. She brought it to her nose and simply inhaled for a moment, moaning as the smell of it made her knees quiver and her belly throb with desire. It smelled so good. Like Damon. She glanced up, caught him staring at her hungrily and licked her lips in response.

"It smells like you."

"Actually it doesn't."

"Yes it does," she insisted, putting her nose to the creamy soap again.

He rolled his eyes at her backwards logic. "No, Elena, the body wash doesn't smell like _me_. _I_ smell like _it,_ because I shower in it."

She shrugged, realizing that would technically be correct. "Whatever, you smell good enough to eat."

Damon gave a small growl of lust. Her words made him hornier than he already was and he wasn't sure he was going to survive this shower if she didn't stop teasing him. "Are you done washing me? Coz I think I'm pretty damned clean by now."

She rubbed her hands together again, creating a good lather. "Almost, but not quite," she said, before running her hands up his chest.

Damon hissed in pleasure as her palms slid over his nipples. They were sensitive and he was already jacked up with desire. The soapy pads of her fingers swirled around the diamond hard buds again and again and Damon bit his lip to keep from begging her to let him have her already. "Elena, if you're trying to torture me," he groaned, "you can stop now—mission accomplished."

"No torture," she said, her eyes focused on his chest. His nipples responded to her so easily, they were begging for more. She pinched them lightly, tweaking the sensitive tips before leaning forward and placing a soft kiss on each. She repeated the action, pinching his nipples a little harder this time and a small yelp escaped Damon's lips and her eyes darted up to his face. "Did I hurt you?" He looked tense. His jaw was clenched so hard a muscle ticked there, but, he was so dazzlingly handsome with his wet slicked back hair and brilliant blue eyes blazing hot and hungry, that it took Elena's breath away.

"God No!" he answered, breathlessly. "It feels…so good." And it did. She was creating a delicious contrast of pain and pleasure that it had his senses spinning.

"Oh. Well good," she said and went right back to her titillating torture.

She tugged on the sensitive tips again, enamored with his reactions. This time she pinched them and twisted just a bit, before taking one and then the other in her mouth and sucking on them softly. It was such an overwhelming feeling of pain and then pleasure that Damon's head fell back with a loud groan and his eyes closed in ecstasy. When she lifted her head and seemingly abandoned his chest. He was more than ready to beg at that point.

"Elena, please…" he pleaded softly, trying to gather the tattered remnants of his control, but she was bringing him to his knees. He wanted her desperately.

"So beautiful," she murmured, leaning forward to place a kiss on the muscular curve of his left pectoral, right above where his heart lay thumping almost painfully underneath the layers of skin and muscles.

He opened his eyes to find her staring at him like he was the most amazing thing she'd ever seen and Damon was utterly un-manned. He'd been with a lot of women, and each and every one of them had always commented on his body, however, he'd never met anyone so enthralled with him that they had single-mindedly worshipped his flesh like Elena was doing. It was a mind blowing experience that brought a whole new level of eroticism (and torture) to the table. When she poured more soap onto her hands and her slippery palms slid down his heaving belly to his groin, teasing the happy trail of hair that led to his cock, it was almost too much. The whimper he'd been holding in escaped and he shuddered under her touch. His eyes shut again and he started to recite the utterly complicated and boring Latin alphabet in his head to stop himself from simply coming in her hand the moment she touched him.

Elena's eyes focused on his erection. It was swollen and red, almost angry looking, but still, it wasn't unattractive. Did he even have a flaw? So far, she hadn't seen one. "Even Little Damon is pretty," she mused without thinking. "How is that possible?"

It was the perfect thing to say to ease his situation. Damon's eyes flew open and caught the mortification on her face. He couldn't stop the short burst of laughter her comment caused. "It's what?" Surely he'd heard that wrong! He shook his head when she ducked hers and wouldn't look him in the eye. "Tell me you did not seriously just call my cock pretty, Elena." He laughed. "You are definitely a strange girl, Elena Gilbert."

She realized he was teasing her and her brazen courage returned. "But it is. I've always thought the male appendage to be very unattractive…"

He glanced down at his dick. "She doesn't mean it buddy." He mock glared at Elena. "Stop calling him names."

She giggled. "I wasn't. I was talking about the penis in general. From the pictures I've seen and the idiots in the barracks, I had always just thought they were ugly. Definitely not something I really wanted to play with, but yours isn't," she said with a shrug. "It's...pretty…and… pink."

Despite the compliment, Damon looked horrified. "Did you just call my dick pretty in pink?"

"No, I said pretty _and_ pink."

"Oh and that's such a huge difference! Elena, a man's dick should never be called pretty or pink. Call him hot or huge or even your love machine, but never call him pretty and definitely not little Damon either," he added with a frown. "He might get a complex and run away like a frightened turtle."

Elena burst into a fit of giggles. "A frightened turtle? What like is he going to go into a shell down there?"

The visual caused another peal of laughter to escape her lips. It was liberating to be having so much fun with him. Elena had never laughed when being intimate with a man—well, she'd only been intimate once, and it was such a disappointment, she had never bothered again, but still, there had definitely been no laughter involved. With Damon, everything was different. Damon Salvatore was far more than the one dimensional, sex on legs, womanizing ass she had first pegged him to be. He was complicated and multifaceted. He was strong and determined, but he had a playful side. He could be a fun and romantic lover, too. Tonight was proving that in spades. He just needed the right woman to let him show it, and Elena was now determined that woman was going to be her—not her sister!

Damon was starting to scowl, so she stopped laughing. "Okay, I won't call him pretty…"

"Or little Damon," he added, grimacing at the mere idea of it.

"Never," she said with mock seriousness, Elena added to the vow by making an X over her chest. "Cross my heart."

Her actions brought Damon's eyes back to her breasts and he seemed to lose his train of thought as he stared at those perfect mounds that he had yet to really handle like he wanted. When was he going to get his turn in this touch-a-thon?

"So what should I call him then?" Elena asked, drawing his attention back to her face.

"Huh?" Damon asked, distracted.

She grinned, knowing very well why he was distracted. "I asked you what I should call your um…?" She floundered. It was one thing to have a potty mouth when she was mad, but quite another when she was naked with him. Her words trailed off and her face burned hot when Damon started to smirk at her.

"My what, Elena?" he asked, intrigued by her reticence to say the word 'cock' after the filthy way she'd basically accused him of liking farm animals earlier tonight! Her face flushed a deep red and Damon smirk turned into a full-fledged grin. "You're embarrassed to say cock, aren't you?"

"No, I'm not," Elena denied, but the burn in her cheeks gave truth to her lie.

He grabbed her around the waist and hauled her up to him. "Then say it," he dared.

Like Damon, Elena had never chickened out on a dare. He looked so smug, she decided to wipe that smirk right off his face. "Fine," she said, wetting her lips and swallowing down her nervousness. "I think you're_ cock_ is beautiful, Damon." His eyes darkened at her words and Elena warmed to this new game at his reaction. She decided to take it to another level. "You know what I want to do to your _cock_?" she asked, stressing the word.

She was setting him on fire again. "No, tell me," he said, his voice thick.

One of Elena's fingers toyed with his nipple again, while the other trailed down the ridges of his abdominal muscles teasingly. "I want to touch it and feel it pulse in my hand. I want to see if it as soft as it is hard. I want to slide my hand up and down its length and then I want to take your _cock_ in my mouth and see for myself, if you taste as good as you look, Damon."

Her words and her touches sent sparks of electricity racing along his nerve endings straight to his groin. "Elena, my control only goes so far," he warned raggedly, "Keep it up and you're going to find yourself flat on your back with me so deep inside you, you won't know where you end and I begin."

"Don't threaten me with a good time," she taunted, enjoying how he seemed to bring out the brazen woman in her.

Damon's hands tightened around her waist and he pressed their bodies together. "It wasn't a threat, sweetheart. That was a promise."

"Promises—promises. Those are just words. I need some proof before I can make an evaluation."

That was the straw that broke Damon's control. He spun her around so fast that her world tilted. Once he had her back against his chest, his hands came up to palm her breasts, cupping the perfect mounds like he'd wanted to all night. "You want proof?" he growled, against her ear, making Elena shiver in response. His fingers played with her nipples, while the swollen tip of his penis slid wetly against the small of her back. "Well, allow me to give it you, lover."

He grabbed her chin and angled her face so that he could crash their lips together. His other hand left her breasts to slide down her belly to the curly nest of wet curls at the apex of her thighs. He cupped her sex and tugged her back, ensuring that not even an inch of space separated them. His tongue thrust into her mouth, conquering hers, while his fingers slid through her pubic hair to find that sweet bundle of nerves that was her fuse. After allowing her to have the control for so long, Damon utterly dominated her, taking her mouth and body with a veracity that had Elena's knees buckling. His strong arms kept her on her feet as he played her body like a master, sliding two fingers into slippery wet womanhood and using his thumb to give her the pressure on her clit that she needed to orgasm. In seconds flat, his magical fingers had Elena to the point of no return.

Her first climax hit her hard and fast and Elena cried out her pleasure into Damon's mouth, as he refused to let her break their kiss. He swallowed her moans of pleasure with a growl of his own as her liquid pleasure poured over his fingers, still nestled deep inside her. When she went limp against his chest, Damon finally raised his head.

Elena took a deep shuddering breath, her head was spinning and her bones felt like they were made of jelly. "God…" was all she could say after such an incredible rush of intoxicating rapture.

Damon looked over her shoulder and his grin could only be called cocky. "Proof enough?"

Elena laughed breathlessly, having forgotten entirely about taunting him earlier. Lord, she'd almost forgotten her name at one point. "Definitely," she admitted, a goofy, happy smile infused upon her face.

"Good," he growled, spinning her back around so that they were face to face, chest to chest and groin to groin. "Coz I can't wait any longer to have you," he admitted roughly.

She placed her hands on his chest. "Damon, wait…"

"Elena, I swear to fucking God if you tell me you want to touch me some more…" He expelled a ragged breath. "Well, I can't do it."

She shook her head. "No, it's just we don't have a condom in here," she reminded him. A little nervous he might get mad or think she was teasing him again.

His eyes widened at her words. He couldn't believe he'd been ready to jump right in and go bareback with her. He never—ever did that! He supposed it was because he was so crazy in lust with her. "Fuck! I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking." He gave her a self-effacing shrug and resigned himself to the fact that he wouldn't have relief as quickly as he'd hoped. "Guess I wasn't, huh?"

Elena glanced down at his engorged flesh. He'd been so patient with her, allowing her to have her way with him and then giving her a mind-melting orgasm to boot. But, he was still unsatisfied; it didn't seem fair. Elena remembered how when she'd told him she wanted to taste him earlier, he'd visibly gotten hot and bothered; a small, wicked grin curled her lips as she decided to give them both what they wanted.

Damon only had a moment to ponder what kind of evils that smile meant for him, before she dropped to her knees before him. His heart rate jacked up and his dick literally jerked and trembled with anticipation as her actions became clear. Surely God wasn't going to be so good to him as to actually let him live out the fantasy he'd had about Elena giving him a blow job in the shower. She took his shaft in her delicate hands and Damon sucked in a ragged breath; maybe he was, but (just in case) he closed his eyes, and offered a little prayer to the Big Guy upstairs that nothing stopped her.

Elena's journey of Damon's oh-so-perfect body had finally reached its culmination. Face to face with what should have been the most unattractive part of his anatomy she found herself salivating at the mere idea of putting her mouth on it.

"Oh wait," she said, glancing up at him. He looked haggard and ready to explode and she grinned, unable to resist teasing him just a tad more. After all, he'd caused her many sleepless night over the past couple weeks! "You never told me what I should call him," she said cheekily.

For all of a second, Damon stared at her dumbfounded, until their earlier conversation came to mind. He groaned. She was a minx! "Seriously, Elena?" he said, rolling his eyes at her cheekiness. "At this point, you can call him Burt—or even Ernie, for all I care! Just kiss him and make him better," he implored.

Elena giggled out loud at his response. He was adorable when he whined. But, just as quickly as their levity came, it went when she ran her hand up and down the shaft of his cock experimentally.

Damon groaned and clenched his fists to stop himself from grabbing her head and forcing her to his (now) painful erection.

Elena's eyes drifted closed as she leaned in and took her first taste of him by swiping her tongue around the sensitive tip.

Damon hissed and his hands instinctually went to her head, as if to hold her there. He spread his legs a bit and planted his feet, letting his back rest against the shower wall when his knees quaked a bit, at the first touch of her mouth on him.

"Aaahh…Oh God," he gasped out, fingers tightening in her hair when her lips opened wider and she took the entire head of his cock into the hot, wet cavern of her delectable mouth. She began to bob her head up and down his shaft, taking him deeper and deeper each time she went down, and Damon's eyes closed in bliss. "Yesss," he moaned, in encouragement "just like that."

For Elena, it was the most brazen and thrilling sexual experience of her life. She had never given head before. Her one and only time with a boy before she joined the military hadn't really afforded or encouraged her to try it. And then when she was in the Army—well, she'd wanted respect and giving a blow job to your Platoon mate wasn't the way to get it.

It didn't matter though, she was actually glad her first time was with Damon. And from the sounds he was making, what she lacked in experience, she was more than making up for with her enthusiasm. She tried a few of the things she'd read about in magazines, like relaxing her throat as she went down on him. To her pleasure (and his) it worked. She was able to take almost all of him down. Damon was murmuring words of encouragement, babbling really about how good her mouth felt and it was making her even wetter. Elena had never realized that giving a man head could be such a turn on. She had always thought it would be a chore or a duty she'd have to perform occasionally. However, with Damon it wasn't a chore—sucking Damon's cock was making her almost as hot as it was making him! She clenched her thighs together and moaned when her core clenched in response.

"Oh fuck!" Damon gasped when she moaned around his shaft and her throat swallowed, milking him. He was going to come and quickly. "Elena!" he panted, gripping her head and trying to pull her off him.

She swatted his hands away. "Unh-uh" she replied around him, refusing to budge.

Damon groaned. "I don't think you understand, lover, I'm about to…oh shit!" He clenched his eyes shut as the fire in his belly raged into an inferno. Lightning bolts of pure, unadulterated, delirious exaltation was beginning to travel from his scrotum throughout his body. His knees trembled, his toes curled and he was literally seconds from coming in her mouth. He had to warn her.

"Elena! If you don't stop now, I won't be able to stop myself!"

She didn't care. Tonight was a first for a lot of things. Might as well make it a Grand Slam of firsts! Elena redoubled her efforts, she even used her other hand to fondle his boys below like she'd read men like. He gasped and cursed when she did, so she assumed it was true and then she relaxed her throat and took as much of him down as she could. She let out a breathless hum when his hands clenched so hard in her hair that he pulled on it roughly, actually causing a bit of pain.

The hum did it, and Damon went off like a firecracker! "Oh fuck-shit! God! Elena!" he chanted, uttering nonsensical prayers as his entire body went rigid and he exploded, coming hard.

Elena was prepared, (but not really) when his hot cum spurted into her mouth and slid down her throat. She gagged a little, because it was such a foreign feeling, but she swallowed before the reaction could embarrass either of them. She continued swallowing every couple seconds, still sucking him gently until he was spent and limp in her mouth. She withdrew slowly and gave the head of his penis a gentle kiss.

Damon blinked open heavy lidded eyes to gaze down at the poignant gesture she'd just bestowed upon him. He'd gotten more than his fair share of blow jobs, but no one had ever kissed it after they were done. Hell, he hadn't thought Elena would actually follow through and swallow, much less give his dick such a tender kiss afterwards. Maybe, he should have. Elena was definitely full of surprises.

Elena smiled up at him, still on her knees. The soft spray of water gave her face a dewy fresh appearance and the smile she flashed him, like she'd just won a prize or something, made Damon want to pull her into his arms and never let her go—ever!

She got to her feet and gave his lips a soft kiss too. "There, now both you _and_ Burt, feel much better, right?" Elena asked smirking. Damon was right. She did feel like she'd won a prize or something. She had reduced the 'Great Sex-God', Damon Salvatore, to a babbling mess with her very first blow job, and her cheeky smile said that she was pretty damned proud of herself about it, too!

He was still panting softly when she said that, but he still managed to give her a dramatic eye roll. "Burt? You're seriously going to call my dick Burt?"

"You're the one who told me to call him that," she reminded him as she pulled him under the shower spray.

Damon readjusted the controls and the panels closed, and the rain nozzle started to flow with a firm, but soothing normal flow. "Yeah, but I was kidding. You know—joking?" he said as he reached for the shampoo. He frowned. " I didn't mean for you to take me seriously," he muttered as he maneuvered her in front of him and poured the shampoo into his hand. He dug his hands into her mass of chocolate colored hair and began to lather it up. She moaned softly and wriggled her sexy ass right up next to 'Burt' and Damon leaned down so that his lips were right next to her ear. "Come up with a better name," he whispered, working the shampoo through her long hair.

Elena gave another made an *mmmm* sound as his strong hands gave her a scalp massage as he washed her hair for her. It was such a sweet thing to do that she almost gave in to him, but her impish side, the one she knew Damon secretly loved, refused to let him have the last word. "I'll give it some consideration," she said, eyes closed in rapturous contentment. "But…" she added; a small smile tugging at her lips, and Elena wished she could see his face. "I think I like Burt."

Damon groaned. "You would." He pulled her under the flow of the shower head and proceeded to wash the shampoo out of her hair.

For the rest of their shower they bickered and teased each other. At one point Damon threatened to give Elena's private parts names too, if she didn't change her mind about Burt.

"But, you haven't met my privates yet," Elena said with a far too innocent smile to be real. "How can you give them the right names when you don't really know them?"

Damon turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. "Yes, I have. I think I got pretty friendly with one of them in that shower there," he said, smirking when he brought his fingers to his nose and inhaled. "Mm, yep, I can still smell her…" he exaggerated. "Maybe, I'll call her kitty."

It wasn't that he had intended to make Elena think of Kat, because really, a nickname for a woman's vagina _was_ 'kitty'. However, to Elena, her thoughts went right to her sister—who had been with him first. She stomped out of the shower and marched after him. The bathroom in the guest house wasn't nearly as big as Damon's and when he turned around, towels in hand, Elena was right there, in his face.

"Whoa," he said, surprised she was so close and more than a little dumbfounded at the fury he saw stamped across her face. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Elena poked her finger in his chest and let loose. "Call my lady parts anything that even sounds like Kat, and you won't be friends with them for long, buddy! I can promise you that!"

Damon could have kicked himself. "Shit," he muttered, handing Elena a towel first, before wrapping the other around his waist. "I'm sorry," he said, taking the towel out of her hand and wrapping it around her wet naked body "I'm an insensitive ass," he said, grabbing another towel from the linen closet and handing it to her. She glanced down at it questioningly. "For your hair," he explained.

"Look, Elena, I didn't mean to bring her into us…you know that right?"

The way he had immediately assumed blame, calling himself insensitive, when he was thoughtful enough to even get her a towel for her hair, made Elena a little ashamed of the way she'd acted. An insensitive ass would have gotten himself a towel and left her to fend for herself. Elena realized she'd totally overreacted. Damon couldn't change his past and she'd been fully aware of it before she'd made the choice to take this trip with him. She wrapped the towel around her hair and then apologized. "No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to go all angry-crazy. It's just…"

He came up to her and cupped her face in his hands. "I know. I get it," he said, "It's a lousy situation, but can we please not do this—have this conversation right now. We were having so much fun a little while ago…" He shrugged, "I don't want to talk about_ her_ right now. It's just going to piss me off all over again."

Elena nodded in agreement. They still had plenty to talk about—one of which was definitely going to be her sister and what to do about her, but not tonight. Elena had promised herself this one-selfish night with Damon free of all things heavy. And she was going to get it.

She took his hand. "Now, about Burt…" she said leading him out of the bathroom and back into the bedroom for round two.

******************************D&E*********************************

**I know…that was one hell of a shower, right? lol! ;) **

**I wanted Elena to really *see* how she affects Damon, in this chappie, and the only way to really do that was to let her have the power. The next one will be Damon's turn. ;)**

**I know. This has turned into a smut-a-thon, but when I started editing this…it just got away from me and I ended up with two chappies rather that one! ;) lol!**

**Anyhow, click that little blue button and let the musie know what you think… ;)**

**Jen**


	12. Chapter 12

**All's Fair in Love and War**

A fic by: Jenna

Rating: This chappie definitely earns the M rating of this fic, so if graphic smut or curse words offend you—skip this part. You've been warned, so please do not flame me or send me a pm telling me I curse too much, or my smut is vulgar. I am stating it here plainly—I have a potty mouth and my smut is very graphic, so if you don't like that, then **do not** read this chappie. Okay? Okay.

A/N: Now, I know I have still been slacking terribly on responding to reviews. Ugh! I am so bad with that. _That_ you *can* flame me for! Lol! I will accept it, because, it's true. However, I _do_ read each and every review and they all (well most) make me smile, laugh outright or some simply inspire me to do even better next chappie. I want to say thank you to everyone who does take the time to leave a review—even if my fic isn't your cup of tea. Hey, my style isn't for everyone, but to all of you who do love this fic and have inspired me to keep writing it—Thank You! Without you, the readers, I wouldn't be back doing what I love…so please accept my apologies for not replying, but please know how much your support means to me. Okay? Okay. Now enough from me…on with the damned show!

**Oh and btw: I own none of the characters here, so please do not sue me either! ;) I simply like to take them out, play with them, give em a big happy and put them back. **

**Now, taking off where we left them last...**

*********************************************D&E****************************************

**The Salvatore Guest House:**

Hand in hand, Damon and Elena walked into the master bedroom.

"Elena, I absolutely forbid you to call my penis, Burt. It's undignified."

"Well, what should I call it then?"

"I don't know, how about Dick?" He chuckled at his own joke.

"I know, how about Richard, after all Dick is short for Richard."

Damon rolled his eyes at the absurdity of the entire conversation, but she seemed to be having so much fun teasing him about it, he let her run amok with it. "Richard, huh?" He shrugged. "It'd be like our own private code. You could say you really need to talk to Richard and I would know you want my irresistibly hot body—like pronto!"

"Pretty full of yourself aren'tcha Salvatore."

"Yep, and pretty soon you're going to be full of me, too." He wriggled his brows at her in that flirty way that never failed to make her heart race.

It was then that the huge bed situated in the center of the room seemed to loom at Elena, and she remembered he'd had another woman in that very bed tonight. Although, he swore nothing had really happened, still…the idea of climbing into that bed...with the same sheets, made Elena feel more than a little dirty and not in the good way.

Damon noticed her grimace as she stared at the bed. He wanted to kick himself all over again for having Andie here earlier. Why hadn't he just waited? He stared at the bed, too as an awkward silence fell over them both. He really didn't want to take Elena here (for the first time) like one of his booty-call girls, however, Katherine's room was just down the hall from his own; he sure as hell didn't want her nosing her way into his and Elena's night.

Elena sighed as the silence lengthened. She didn't want the night to end like this, so she decided to compromise. "Fresh sheets?" she suggested, trying to get back in the mood they'd been in before.

Relieved she wasn't calling a halt to the entire night, Damon was quick to reply. "Not that these are used…" He had to stress that again. "But, yeah, good idea," he agreed. He ran a hand through his damp hair. "Look, I don't want you to think you're like the others'…you aren't," he told her, needing her to know it and believe him. "I feel things for you…you're not…you know, just a random hook-up."

He paused and seemed to stutter for a moment and it endeared him even more to her. Was the Sex-God actually nervous she might bail out?

Elena let him off the hook he was choking himself on. "It's alright, Damon. It's not like I didn't know you had a past." she conceded. And that was true, she wasn't in the dark about Damon's womanizing, but that didn't mean she wanted to analyze it right before adding her own name to that long list, either. "I just want to make sure it is the past…" She met his beautiful eyes head on. "It is, isn't it?"

Damon nodded. "Elena, it was in the past before you even came in here tonight. I couldn't…" He shrugged, "well, you know. I told you earlier. I wanted you."

That was enough for now. "Where's the linen closet?" she asked, changing the subject and choosing to drop the sensitive topic of his other women.

His face relaxed and he pointed to a door. "In there."

Elena nodded and went off to hunt down a pair of freshly laundered sheets for them, while Damon paced the room, looking like a pent up tiger.

For the (at least) tenth time tonight Damon did a mental head slap for inviting Andie over. He should have just gone looking for Elena and confronted her about what Kat had told him. He didn't want Elena thinking she was a one nighter. She was different. He was falling head over heels for her, and there was a part of him that wanted to run, because it scared the ever-loving-hell outta him! What if he opened his heart again and she ended up ripping it out of his chest like her sister had? He'd barely survived Katherine; Damon knew he wouldn't make it through Elena, if she betrayed him. He'd lose it and rip this whole town apart in his need to simply destroy! But, then there was the part that simply basked in the fact that Elena had touched a part of him that he'd thought gone forever.

"Shit!" he muttered, torn between terror and wanting to surrender.

Elena came back into the room carrying an armful of sheets and Damon was snapped out of his musings. His heart rate slowed when she gave him a cheerful smile.

"Okay, you have way too many sheets. I wasn't sure which ones you'd want so I brought several sets."

His heart actually fluttered in his chest. She was the sexiest, most amazing woman. In that moment a huge chunk of Damon's fear faded away. There was no way this woman would treat his heart as shabbily as her sister had.

"Damon..." Elena was saying, bringing his attention back to her. "Which set do you want?"

Just then the towel wrapped around her naked body unknotted and dropped to the floor in a heap and Damon's hungry gaze immediately went to her perfect body, drinking in the sight of her.

Elena gave a little *eep* as she was suddenly standing there completely naked with an armful of linen. She hugged the sheets to her chest, instinctually covering herself.

"Have I told you, I like the way you deliver sheets, Gilbert?" he said, teasing her, while coming to her aid by taking the linen from her arms and allowing Elena to make a mad dash for her towel. Why she was still shy was a mystery to him—he'd seen the goods already, and more than liked what he saw, but he supposed it was a women's prerogative to be complicated.

Hell, he knew for a fact, he was!

Elena knotted her towel again. "Just don't expect that kind of maid service everyday," she shot back, smiling sweetly.

Once the bed was remade, there was an awkward pause; Damon on one side of the bed, Elena on the other.

She bit her lip. "Okay, why isn't this feeling as natural as it was in the shower?"

"Well, we hadn't dealt with the awkward changing of the sheets faze of our—what is this?—a relationship?"

Elena's heart rate picked up speed. "What do you want it to be?"

Damon took a moment to answer that and Elena had just started to fidget and huff softly when he finally answered. "I want it to be real, Elena." He rounded the bed until he was standing in front of her. He cupped the side of her face and his blue eyes were intense as he searched her gaze as if looking for answers there. "I want to know that what you're feeling here is real and not part of the need you have to save your brother."

His vulnerability floored Elena. This was the little boy Lily had loved so desperately and Elena's heart melted. "It is," she admitted, taking his hand and bringing it to her lips. She brushed the softest of kisses there. "I don't know where it's going, or if it's even going to work between us, but I do know, that this—us—it's the most real thing I've ever felt."

The guttural groan that Damon gave at her confession, made Elena's stomach clench in desire. He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to him; only the soft terry cloth of the towels they both wore separating their heated flesh.

Damon dipped his head to nibble at her lips. "What would you say if I told you that I want to throw you onto my bed and never let you leave?"

Elena's eyes blazed with lust and her chin lifted at the challenge. "I'd say do it, Salvatore."

He laughed and it made his entire face light up. "Never dare me, Lena," he said and proceeded to scoop her up and toss her (willy-nilly) onto the huge bed.

Elena squealed as she bounced twice. Her towel came undone again and before she could right it, Damon was hovering over her. His own towel mysteriously absent, as the soft, velvety tip of his penis slid along her folds, teasing, but not invading.

Elena gasped all the same. It was like lightning racing along her skin. Everywhere he touched tingled. He only had to look at her and she got wet. "Damon…" she breathed, clutching at his shoulders, nails biting his flesh as she tried to bring him closer.

"Not yet," he purred and scooted down her body, placing gentle, wet kisses along her collarbone, before meandering his way to her breasts. Her nipples were already hard, tight little buds, aching for his lips and Damon was more than willing to oblige. "Beautiful," he breathed, his tongue flicking out to swirl around her areola. His hand palmed her other breast and squeezed the plump mound gently, while his thumb rubbed the hardened tip, earning him a soft moan. His name slipped past her lips in a soft cry, as his mouth settled around Elena's breast more fully and suckled, causing her to arch under him and writhe in pleasure as he paid homage to her body.

Elena's fingers delved into his hair and she held him there, pressing his face closer. "Yessss…aaahhh, God, so good," she crooned, body trembling with desire.

The sounds of pleasure she was making made him even harder than he was and with one last succulent nip at her turgid peaks, he headed south on the exquisite path that was her flesh; his destination, that holier than holy place where heaven could be found on earth.

His wandering lips paused at her belly button. He dipped his tongue inside and Elena responded with breathless giggle. He chuckled and raised his head. "Ticklish?" He filed that away to be used at a later date. His lips continued their journey south, pressing hot, open mouthed kisses along her flesh until he came to her pubic area. To Elena's frustration, he veered off and started on her thighs. His mouth hot and moist as he kissed his way down one entire leg, pausing to pay extra attention to that sensitive flesh behind her knee, before continuing his way down her calf to her dainty feet.

Elena let out another gasp/giggle when he even licked and suckled at her toes. "Damon, please!" she cried, when he started a return path up the other leg.

He raised his head and the satisfied smirk on his face should have made her want to slap the taste out of his mouth, however, Elena was starting to realize Damon had a right to wear that smug expression. He was a generous and experienced lover who went the extra mile to make sure the woman he was with was completely turned on before going for the money shot, so to speak!

Except in this instance, Elena didn't want any more foreplay or teasing kisses. She needed him and unconsciously, she lifted her hips invitation. "Please," was all she said, but the ache behind her words was clear.

It was an offer Damon could not refuse and in moments, he moved up her body until his chin hovered above her pubic bone. He placed a hand on her belly, calming her. "Ssshh, relax. I got you," he whispered soothingly, stroking his hands along her tummy soothingly. His magnificent eyes captured her gaze and she stared, almost in thrall as he asked, "Elena, do you trust me?"

In that moment Elena knew she did; wholeheartedly. "Yes," she answered simply.

He smiled. "Good. Then trust me to make this amazing for you."

Elena took a deep breath and willed her overheated body to settle down and just enjoy what he was doing to her. She closed her eyes and finally nodded. "Okay," she murmured, taking another ragged breath when he parted her thighs, totally exposing her.

Damon's eyes were glued to the extraordinary sight of her pouty and swollen sex laid bare to his hungry gaze. His breathing became labored as his dick practically begged him to just be done with the foreplay already and simply take the bountiful offering before him. However, for the first time in his life, Damon wasn't simply going down on a woman for her pleasure—he was doing it for his own. He desperately wanted to taste her and he refused to deny himself the pleasure of that, despite his 'lower-head's' urgings.

He placed a soft kiss along her inner thigh. "Just lay back and enjoy, 'Lena, coz I'm about to rock our worlds…"

If she noticed he said 'our' instead of 'your', she didn't show it. She simply gave herself over to him by relaxing the tense muscles in her legs and letting them fall completely open for him.

It was the exact response Damon had hoped for. His mouth actually watered as he lowered his lips to her sex. He blew on her first, allowing his hot breath to prepare her for the heat of his mouth and tongue. He didn't head straight for her clitoris. Instead he lapped at her lazily, spreading the outer lips of her labia and tasting her thoroughly with long, soft flicks of his tongue, before heading for the sweet entry he wanted to bury himself in. He pointed his tongue and proceeded to tongue fuck her for a moment, getting her prepared for the invasion of his fingers. Once he had her good and ready, he slid a finger in her, while heading back to her vulva.

To Elena, his soft lips seemed to take forever to get to where she needed him most, but the anticipation he built as he swirled his talented tongue in and around her nether regions made the act so hot, it was amazing she didn't simply combust on the spot. Under the artful tutelage of hands and lips, Elena was learning that that not all sexual encounters consisted of two minutes of groping and grunting before it was (thankfully) over.

With Damon, it was an exploration of the senses, as if her body was a feast that he wanted to savor…

It was magical.

Damon had worked her up into the proper frenzy, before heading for her most sensitive erogenous zone. Women weren't like men, they needed time and preparation, going straight for the clit would get them off, but once you hit that button, you better not stop or so would their climax. And Elena wasn't like other women, where getting her off was a means to _his _end. Damon _was _savoring her. Every drop of moisture that dripped from her sex was ambrosia and he wanted it all. He used two fingers to spread her lips again, and expose the tiny nubbin that was the key to a woman's pleasure center. It was puffy and swollen already, just barely peeking out of the hood that normally hid it from view, so he blew on it first, watching in fascination as it pulsed before his eyes. He swallowed hard, wetting his lips before lowering his head and putting his mouth on her.

When his tongue lapped at her clitoris, Elena's hips bucked so hard she almost tossed him off her. Damon had to grab hold of her thighs and hold her in place as he went down on her. Elena's head thrashed from side to side as his deliciously hot mouth zeroed in on her hot spot and began to work his magic.

Elena's hands went helplessly to his head, curling into his soft, dark locks and holding on for dear life as he slid another finger inside her as well and began to move them in and out of her faster and harder. His mouth was locked on her clit now, suckling her hard. Colors and white lights danced behind her eyes as she snapped them closed and sucked in a sharp breath as her body started to tremble and shake. "Oh-my-God, Damon! Oh. My. God!" she screamed as her second orgasm of the night tore through her body. It hit her like a runaway Mack truck, slamming into her with the force of a six ton vehicle going eighty miles an hour. Elena's thighs snapped closed, keeping Damon trapped there as she grinded herself against his oh-so-talented mouth and hands, riding out her climax with furious intensity.

When the last electric after shock of ecstasy had finally zinged its way through her central nervous system, Elena, exhausted from the violence of her orgasm, fell back on the bed, chest heaving from exertion. She brushed the sweaty locks of hair that clung to her face and blew out a long, satisfied breath as her body fell into a semi-comatose state of absolute euphoria.

"Wow!" was all she could think of to say. When he'd said he was going to 'rock her world!' he hadn't been joking or bragging. After that near religious experience—Elena considered her world officially 'rocked'!

A goofy, utterly blissful smile graced her face. "That was…"

Damon crawled up her body with the grace of a panther. "Amazing, earth shattering," he provided with a smirk so smug, it usually would have irked her to no end.

However, Elena decided he had definitely earned looking so cocky, so she didn't take offense. "Yes, to all of the above," she admitted with a breathless sigh.

He chuckled at how malleable she was being. Elena was usually stubborn to no end and when he was arrogant, it never failed to set her off, except not this time. She was so sated and satisfied, he could probably proclaim himself the 'World's Greatest Lover'—ever! And she wouldn't bitch at him about it.

He chuckled huskily as he reached across her body to open the drawer beside the bed and grab a condom. "Now I know the key to handling you, Gilbert," he whispered in her ear. "I just need to keep you in my bed, happy and satisfied, and you'll let me get away with anything won't you?"

Elena rolled her eyes at his teasing. "Okay, now you're taking cocky to a new level, Salvatore." Her second wind was coming and Elena waited until she felt she had the energy, before rising up and using one of her military maneuvers to suddenly flip him onto his back. She pinned him there as she straddled his narrow hips. "There, that's better," she said, enjoying the way his eyes widened in surprise at their abrupt change of positions. Her smile was almost as wicked as his usually was. "You were saying?" she purred, raising a brow.

Damon laughed softly. He was not a man to be intimidated by a strong woman—as a matter of fact, he totally loved how hot she was when she went all Delta-Force on him. "If you wanted to be on top, lover, all you had to do was ask," he said, wagging his brows and flashing that half smile of his that should come with a warning sign attached that read; 'Warning: seeing this smile may cause extreme heart palpitations and your panties to automatically drop!'

Elena did her best to ignore that far too sexy grin and tightened her grip on his wrists, while her firm thighs kept his well and truly caught under her. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize I needed permission," she said.

Damon shuddered under her. Elena had showed him this spunky, forceful side of her personality a few times over the last few weeks and it always had the same affect. His dick was standing at attention now. Ready and willing to throw in the towel, raise the white flag and totally surrender to conquering forces.

He didn't even bother fighting. "You don't," he said instead. "Take what you want. I know I would," he added, lifting his hips just a bit to remind her he was ready and willing.

The way he went along with her turning the tables on him, turned Elena on to no end. It was so hard to find a man secure enough in himself and his own prowess, to let go of his control. It was one of the main reasons Elena had stayed celibate for so long. Damon might be insecure when it came to matters of the heart, but here in the bedroom, he knew what he was about. With her own control issues, Elena was thrilled that (at least in bed) they could reach a compromise on that issue.

"I want you inside me," Elena breathed, leaning down to kiss his far too seductive mouth.

Damon deepened the kiss, thrusting his tongue into her mouth and taking back the control without ever changing their physical positions. Elena whimpered and allowed him to dominate her mouth. He was truly gifted in the art of kissing. The way his lips and tongue danced with hers was more than just seductive. It was addicting. When Damon kissed her so forcefully, he ignited a fire so hot, it made her toes curl. Elena had no problem allowing him to lead in that area.

He pulled his head back suddenly, leaving Elena seeking more of his mouth, but he evaded her lips. "If you want me inside you, then do it," he urged, his mesmerizing eyes so dark with desire that the icy blue surrounding his dilated pupils had all but disappeared.

Elena hesitated. Once she went there, she wouldn't ever be able to go back. Katherine would come at her full force…

He licked his lips, drawing her attention once again to his full, sensual mouth. "Elena," he said, as if sensing her sudden reticence, "for once in your life, don't think, just take what you want."

And she did. Despite the fact that after tonight, her sister would more than likely be her enemy. Elena gave herself the one selfish moment she'd never allowed before. She snatched the condom out of Damon's hand, ripped it open, and in less time than she'd ever imagined possible, she'd rolled it down his length and had him entirely ready to be hers.

Elena gripped the base of his straining cock and levered herself over him. He gave her a sultry smile as she placed him at her entrance.

"Now let go, 'Lena. Let go and just feel…" he instructed.

She sank down upon his rigid erection and they both let out low, guttural moans as Damon joined with Elena for the first time.

"Fuck!" he hissed as her silken sheath took him all the way down until he was seated inside her to the hilt. She was so tight, like a hot, silken vice squeezing him, he had to close his eyes and think of _anything_, but how good she felt, in order to stop himself from coming on the spot.

Elena wasn't faring any better. After the initial, brief stab of pain (it had been six years for her) her inner walls stretched sufficiently to accommodate his size, and it became fireworks and electric shocks of pleasure all over again. Elena had never experienced anything as satisfying as having Damon buried deep inside her. It was almost scary; it felt so good and right.

She placed her hands on his sculpted chest, while Damon's hands went to her hips to guide her movements, and she began to slowly ride him. Their pace was slow and steady at first, both of them savoring the first time, wanting it to last. Damon's hands tightened on her hips, as she rolled them above him, rising and falling, up and down, she moved upon his shaft like warm molasses, drawing out each sensation of their unhurried coupling.

"I could spend eternity just like this," he groaned, his eyes mesmerized by the sight of his cock sliding in and out of her. It was so hot the way she moved on him. She swirled her hips in a circular motion on one downward thrust and Damon growled. "Fuck yeah, that's so good!"

Her confidence rising, Elena began to try out different moves. She rolled and swirled her hips once he was all the way in, grinding against his belly and found that to be very pleasurable since it gave her clit a little added pressure and the angle brought the head of his penis into direct contact with a place inside her body that made her gasp and moan each time he hit it. He started to buck his hips upward with each down thrust she made and very quickly their mating got hot and heavy. Going slow was tossed out the window for the expeditious need to come.

Elena started riding him faster and harder, her speed picking up until his eyes were rolling back in his head and he was far too close to getting off before she did. Damon couldn't allow that. He slipped one hand between their bodies and honed in on her clit, using his thumb and forefinger, he teased the sensitive nubbin until it was pulsing and Elena's breaths were coming out in ragged pants.

"Oh God, yes, please, Damon, just like that!" she whimpered, throwing back her head and tangling her fingers in her own hair as the first tingles of impending release started in her belly and began radiating outwards.

Damon's eyes were glued to the goddess above him. She was playing with her hair, and not in the teasing way some women did. No, Elena was simply lost in the pleasure of the act and watching her come undone was, by far, the hottest thing Damon had seen in his lifetime.

"Let it go, 'Lena," he urged fervently, barely holding onto his own release. "Come for me. Come on, baby, come for me…" He was near to begging now, his own climax just around the corner.

Elena fell forward, her nails digging into his pectoral muscles as she crashed their lips together, planting one on him that made Damon's control snap like a tattered string drawn far too tight.

He surged upwards so that he was sitting up with Elena still in his lap. Still kissing her, he began to buck his hips forcefully upwards, driving into her hard and fast, hitting that sweet spot deep inside her, while still paying extra attention to that little bundle of nerves between her thighs that would send her to the moon and back. And it did. In seconds, Elena was clutching his shoulders, her nails scoring his flesh as the first tremors wracked her body. She moaned into Damon's mouth, her knees tightening around his driving hips as he took her to the very edge and then with a final thrust of his hips, flung her off the cliff.

Elena ripped her mouth away from Damon's as she tossed her head back, calling out his name in glorious abandon as the most powerful orgasm she'd ever experienced tore through her body, it was like flying and falling simultaneously. The strength of her release reduced her to a quivering, shuddering mess in his arms as she clung to him like a life jacket, as she rode out the waves of ultimate satisfaction over and over.

Damon was right behind her. As soon as she came, her sheath fluttered around him, milking him and he gave one final push into her pliant body, before his own climax bowled him over. With a shout, he came long and hard, clutching her even closer as he was swept away by the maelstrom of a mind boggling orgasm.

As they held each other, bodies still shaking and shivering, Elena pressed several tender kisses across his face and jaw. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you." She breathed it over and over, as if Damon had given her some amazing gift, and to Elena, he had. Sex had always left a bad taste in her mouth after that one terrible experience. Now, however, she knew it could be supremely satisfying—you just had to have the right partner.

Damon gave her a lingering kiss in return. "You don't have to thank me, lover," he said, brushing a lock of damp hair back from her forehead and tucking it behind her ear. "Trust me. I was right there with you. That was…" He blew out a long satisfied breath and a slow, sexy smile curled one side of his mouth upwards, "incredible."

He disentangled their bodies and disposed of the used condom surreptitiously, before climbing back into bed and pulling Elena to him. She lay sprawled across his chest and he tugged the sheets up, so that they covered the lower half of their nude bodies. He wrapped his arms around her and relaxed, totally sated.

For the first time in a very long time, Damon was content to just 'be' for a moment.

Elena played with the tiny sprinkling of hair around his nipples. "Damon," she said softly, "I'm sorry for lying to you. I should have come clean a lot sooner than I did, then you wouldn't have had to hear it from—"

He put a finger over her lips. "Don't. I know you're sorry and I'm already _way_ past it, but I don't want to talk about _her _here—not in this bed, and not right now. Tomorrow, we can face reality. I'll get you the funds you need to get your brother out of the situation he's in with those dickhead Första brothers', but tonight, I don't want to talk about them or Kat…okay?" He cupped her face in his hands. "I know we have to talk, but I want tonight to just be about us. Can we do that? Just for tonight?"

Elena nodded, but the way he avoided her sister's name ate at her a bit. It was like he still had feelings for her and Elena's new found confidence began to shrivel just a bit and she pulled back from him slightly.

It was enough that Damon noticed and his brows drew down as he correctly deduced the cause of her withdrawal. He took her chin in his hand and made her look at him. "Hey, just because I don't want to talk about her, doesn't mean I still have feelings for her. I just don't want to spoil what's happening between us, by talking about Katherine. She is definitely my past," he told her firmly.

Elena's anxiety decreased slowly and the light bubbly mood of earlier came back. She glanced at him under her lashes. "Good, coz I'd hate to cut short my budding relationship with Burt—he's been so good to me."

Her cheeky grin made Damon groan and roll his eyes. "I thought we agreed Burt was forbidden!" he mock growled and rolled her back on the bed. He angled his body so that he was lying on top of her, pinning her to the mattress. "What happened to Richard? I kind of liked that—maybe even King Richard, or even better, King Richard, the Lion-cock!" he proclaimed, grinning from ear to ear.

Giggles bubbled up and she laughed delightedly at how silly and adorable he was. The playful side of Damon was such fun, it was too bad he rarely let it out. "But I really kind of like Burt," she stated, drawing out their banter. "As a matter of fact, I could lo—" She bit her tongue before any words of love could pour forth. They'd just gotten off the touchy Katherine subject, saying she loved 'any' part of him, might send him fleeing from the bed like a lynch mob was on his tail!

She'd been ready to say something more. Damon knew it. "As a matter of fact…what?" he queried, intrigued by how abruptly she'd snapped her mouth shut; as if she'd been about to give up classified information or something.

Looking to distract him, Elena brought his head down to hers to kiss those far too tempting lips. However, within moments it was she that was distracted as the seemingly never ending hunger she had for him kicked in and she lost herself in the wondrous feelings he inspired with just a kiss.

Damon allowed himself to be swept away, too, but when the kiss ended, (several long moments later) he went back to his question—like a dog with a bone. "What were you going to say? Tell me and maybe…just maybe, I'll let you call him Burt."

"Ah the bartering system," Elena teased. She debated just spilling her guts, but her very real fear that he would balk if she told him she was in love with him kept her from saying the words; instead she settled for a version of the truth. "Damon, it was something silly. A joke about loving Burt, and the way he makes me feel…" she said, honestly, yet keeping her words light and breezy. She shrugged. "Now, it just seems awkward."

Damon let the matter drop, but his gut was screaming at him again. There was more to it than that, but Damon decided Elena was more than likely wrestling with the same feelings he was. He sure as hell wouldn't want his dragged out of him, so he refused to submit Elena to that kind of scrutiny either.

He grinned cockily and slid the tip of his penis along her nether folds, eliciting a moan from Elena. "Well, Burt loves the way you make him feel, too. So you're even," he told her, breaking the sudden tension with his teasing.

Elena pounced upon his words. In a flash she had him flat on his back. "Aha! So you don't mind Burt after all!" She ran her fingers along his sides, tickling him. "I knew it!"

Damon let out an embarrassing high pitched giggle and jerked away from her marauding digits. He took hold of both her wrists keeping her tickling fingers far away from him. She was straddling his waist, naked and he flashed that panty dropping smirk of his. "It's not that_ I_ like the name—it's that _you_ seem fond of it." He flipped them back over and pinned her arms above her head. "I, of course prefer Richard the Lion-cock, _but_, if calling my dick 'Burt' gets you up close and personal with it on a daily basis, then I can deal with the ridiculous name. The rewards far outweigh the sacrifice."

"Oh, it does, does it?"

"Definitely," he said, his eyes darkened with lust as they honed in on her exposed breasts, rising and falling rapidly with her accelerated breathing.

Elena wet her lips with her tongue and Damon let out a little growl of arousal at the sight. Hard and more than ready to go for round three, he was in between her thighs in a heartbeat and pushing inside her slick wet channel, before it dawned on him, that once again, he'd forgotten a condom.

"Shit," he cursed softly. He was half way in and the scorching heat of her against his naked flesh, without the latex as a buffer, was sheer nirvana; it took all his willpower to stop himself from simply tossing caution to the wind and surging forward.

"What's wrong? Why are you stopping?" Elena moaned softly. She tilted her pelvis and hugged his hips with her knees, trying to pull him forward. She ached to have him inside her again.

He bit his lip to keep from cursing again. Her actions were making it so much harder to pull out. "Condom," he gritted out in explanation, "I forgot it again."

"Oh," Elena said, the dull throbbing inside was getting worse. "Maybe we could…"

"We can't," he said and Damon finally got it together enough to withdraw. They both let out pained moans at the loss. He quickly grabbed one of the foil wrapped packages from the nightstand drawer and slipped it on. Resuming his position, Damon shook his head in self-effacing aggravation. "You know you make me crazy, right?"

"And how is that?" Elena asked, breathlessly distracted as he started to slide inside her again.

"Because, I never forget protection," he said, his words ragged, because he was finally back where he so desperately wanted to be—inside Elena. "But, this makes twice tonight you've had me so worked up, I was ready to just say 'fuck it', and let the chips fall where they may, because I wanted you so bad."

Their soft groans and moans filled the room for a moment as he slid all the way home, stretching and filling her completely. They both took a moment to gather their wits.

Elena was quicker. "Then I suggest we actually give serious thought to naming your penis, since he appears to do all your thinking for you," she told him cheekily.

He gave a wry smile. "Apparently, where you're concerned he does."

Normally Damon couldn't imagine having a conversation like this with a woman, (especially while he was inside her) however, with Elena, it was not only refreshing, it gave him the extra few moments he needed to gather his control and not just rut on her in the desperate need to get off.

She really did make him crazy!

"As much as I'm enjoying how much fun you're having picking out a name for my cock…" He rotated his hips, causing Elena to gasp and clutch at his shoulders tightly. "Do you think we could come back to this conversation later?"

Elena's nails scored his back as he began to move inside her, setting a steady pace and angling his hips so that he hit that wondrous spot inside her over and over each time he drove into her. She wrapped her legs tight around him, her heels digging into the base of his spine, egging him on and pushing him even deeper.

"Mmmmm, definitely…" she moaned, uncaring at that point if they _ever_ used their words again.

The only thing Elena cared about at that time was the magnificent things he was doing to her body. Damon's thoughts echoed Elena's. He finally had her in his bed and he wanted to spend the entire night showing her how good they could be together.

And he did. For hours afterwards, the only sounds in the room were breathless cries of satisfaction, deep moans of pleasure, and the wet slapping sound of flesh upon flesh as Damon and Elena took each other on the roller coaster ride of their lives. They explored each other's bodies over and over, until finally, just as the sun crested the horizon at dawn, they fell into an exhausted slumber, cuddled together in the middle of the massive king sized bed.

That was how Katherine found them…

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_**Okay, I know—terrible cliff hanger for an ending, but the next chappie is far more plot orientated, so I wanted to end this with basically the smut-fest. ;)**_

_**Click that little button and let musie know what you think. Reviews are like little morsels of love that she devours as if they were made of chocolate! :)**_


	13. Chapter 13

**All's Fair in Love and War**

**A fic by Jenna**

**Rating: M Mature content-bad words and smut—you've been warned! **

**Disclaimer: I own none of TVD characters. I just like to take them out, make them (D&E) happy (unlike the show) and then put them back away again. ;)**

**I have finally started to reply to reviews. I know—I am terribly sorry to be such a slacker and for the (evil) cliffhanger Ieft you guys with. Ugh—to Alice—I am so sorry hon. As soon as I read your reviews… *whew* I knew I had to get this out before you came and lynched me! ;) ;)**

**Seriously though, thank you to each and every one of you who R&R'd this fic. If I haven't gotten to you tonight—I will by tomorrow. You are all the best and have inspired me to (once again) defeat my Bi-Polar and carry on with what I love. Thank you!**

_**xoxo**_

_**Jenna**_

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**Chappie 13**

**Fells Church: Salvatore Residence; Guest House.**

Katherine Pierce-Salvatore was a lot of things; selfish, vain, narcissistic and damaged were just a few of the adjectives she could be accused of. However, the one thing she was not (now or ever) was forgiving. Seeing her sister lying naked in bed with the man she desired, and considered her own, didn't just make her see red—it made her downright homicidal! If she had been in possession of a firearm she might have shot them both where they lay cuddled together.

As a matter of fact…had she known she was going to find Damon in bed with her traitorous bitch of a sister—she _definitely_ would have brought Elena's gun!

Katherine's first instinct was to roust them from their far-too-cozy little love nest and have it out with the both of them, then and there; but she refused to give in to those urges. Katherine hadn't survived being abused by her father and hunted by a deranged psychopath for years by acting on impulse. No. She had to play this smart. She wouldn't let on that she knew Elena had betrayed her, instead she would make her little sister squirm.

Katherine's smile was deviously cruel as she took one last look at them; in that moment, she hated Damon as much as she had ever loved him. She vowed to see him suffer, too.

With that thought in mind, she shut the door, spun on her heel and walked out of the guest house, with her head held high, refusing to give in to the ripping ache in her chest and the ridiculous tears that wanted to flow. They would pay for their treachery. After all, she was Katherine Pierce-Salvatore. She _did not_ break down and cry, like a lovesick sap! She lived by her own rules. Men worshipped the ground she walked on—not vice-versa. She swore as she walked away from that house, that Damon Salvatore would rue the day he decided to throw her love away in favor of her sister. Her mind was already spinning as she created different scenarios of how she would punish them for betraying her.

They would be sorry. It was only a matter of time…

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**Later that morning...**

Elena became aware of several things simultaneously when she awoke the next day; one was the warm, hard, naked body cuddled behind her. Two, was the hot, turgid erection pressed right up against her lower back, and three, was the breath catching fear that he might regret what happened last night in the harsh light of 'the morning after'?

As if answering her unspoken questions, his hand snaked its way around her hip to flatten on her belly and he pulled her just that little bit closer, so close, that she could feel the weeping tip of his penis against the dip in her spine.

"Mmmm…morning," he murmured, placing a kiss on her naked shoulder.

Elena's body sagged in relief. He wasn't jumping from the bed and high-tailing it out of there or pretending it didn't happen. Those were good signs.

"Good morning to you, too," she said looking back at him over her shoulder. She noticed the time on the bedside clock and smiled. "Except, it's not morning anymore; it's after noon."

His lashes fluttered as he gave her a lazy, oh-so-satisfied smile. "Then it's a pretty damned good after noon." He kissed her neck gently, laving the area with his tongue. "Waking up with you in my bed…" Damon nuzzled his way up her neck to that spot behind her ear that he now knew drove her crazy. She shivered in his arms when he placed several butterfly kisses there. "Hmmm, pretty much perfect and it can only get even better from here," he whispered against the sensitive lobe there.

One of his hands slid down her belly to her mound, cupping her, as his fingers moved through her curls to find her soft folds. He slid one slender finger into her and Elena whimpered softly. He paused, "Are you sore?"

She shook her head, blushing a bit at his question and the reasoning behind it. They had certainly given new meaning to the words 'fucking like bunnies!' last night.

"Ah, so that was a good whine…" he teased, moving his finger in and out of her with slow and thorough precision.

Elena reached behind her back to take hold of his erection, causing Damon to let out a muffled groan of his own.

"Yeah, it was," she said, her breath hitching when he added another finger, "just like that was a good sound, too…right?"

"Definitely," he said huskily, pumping his cock into her hand as she stroked him.

Trying to work him in the position they were in, was somewhat awkward, but she managed to find a rhythm that very quickly had Damon's head spinning. His arched his back, thrusting forward unconsciously when she ran her thumb over the head of his cock, over and over, using the copious amount of pre-cum there to give her the lubrication needed to slide her hand up and down his shaft faster and faster…

Suddenly, he grabbed her wrist, halting her efforts to get him off. "Stop, I'm gonna cum."

Elena trembled. His words, combined with the delicious things his fingers were doing to her, made her even hotter. "That was the point," she said, moaning again when he used his thumb to apply pressure to her clitoris.

"I need to be inside you," he gritted out, placing his hand over hers and guiding his cock towards her entrance.

Elena couldn't agree more. She'd never been so desperately in lust or in love and it seemed her body simply could not get enough of his.

"Please…" The head of his cock nudged her and Elena scooted back, closer to him and brought her knee up towards her chest, giving him easier access. "I need you."

It was more than enough to get Damon's engine revving all over again. "I can't get enough of you," he growled and pushed forward, sliding easily inside her wet, tight sheath.

She fit him like a silken glove and they both moaned when he filled her.

He grabbed her knee and pressed it to her chest as he pumped his hips against her backside, enjoying the silky wet feeling of her tight sheath gripping him as he gave it to her slowly at first; withdrawing until only the head of his cock was within her and then gliding forward, savoring every inch of feeling as their bodies reunited. Damon kept the lazy pace going as long as he could, but all too soon, his basic instinct to come arose and he quickened his strokes, pulling out rapidly and then slamming forward. The sound of flesh meeting flesh was loud in the room as he drove his cock home again and again with an exclamation point of raw, needy desire surging through him.

Elena let out a breathless scream every time his penis hit that spot just under her belly button. It was the one that made her see not only stars, but stripes, shapes and she swore she heard a hazy faze of white noise that blended with a kaleidoscope of colors that danced beguilingly just beneath her eyelids as his divine cock took her to heaven and back.

Damon had found the elusive 'G-spot' that every romance writer expounds on. Before him, Elena had believed a 'G-spot' orgasm was a term 'Cosmo' writers had dreamed up to sell more magazines. She'd given its existence the same credence she had the Unicorn, or getting hairy palms when you masturbated! It was either a myth or an Urban Legend. That is, until Damon showed her last night (several times as a matter of fact) that it wasn't only possible; it was a probability, as long as it was him that was inside her!

Elena's hands fisted the sheets and she arched her back, pressing back into his sure thrusts. "Yes-yes-yes-yes…" she chanted on each downward driving motion of his hips as he pounded into her from behind.

In a move she wasn't at all prepared for, Damon suddenly flipped her over onto her stomach and climbed on top of her. He dragged her back by her hips, lifting her so that she almost up on all fours. Her ass was in the air, with her elbows, knees and chest on the mattress, so that when he drove back into her and started to fuck her hard and fast, intently seeking their mutual orgasms, he hit that *special spot* dead on. It was so intense, it was almost too much of a sensual overload for her to handle.

"Damon…Oh God, Damon!" she panted as every-single-hard stroke of his thick cock inside her nudged that spongy tissue just under her belly button and it sent her senses spinning wildly out of control.

Elena let out a soft whimper. It was almost unbearable it was so-so good.

"I could spend eternity inside you," he gritted out, his voice hoarse with raw passion as his hand tangled in her hair and he tugged her head back, causing her back to arch.

"Please!" she cried, needing to find relief.

He planted a hand on her hip and his next thrust pounded into her at a different angle and she cried out in alarm, before the fear she was about to pee (thank God she'd learned last night that *really* was a myth!) had passed and she relaxed, getting into rhythm again with the unrelenting drive of his hips.

Damon slipped his other hand down her belly to cup her sex and Elena froze as all her nerve ending zinged with imminent release. Damon slid two gingers between her folds, found her hot button and tweaked it while driving into her like a runaway freight train. Elena didn't stand a chance. She tossed her head back and whimpered, cried and shouted his name as he took her body on another deliriously intoxicating trip to the wild-side of her nature while drilling her sated into the bed unmercifully.

It was the sweetest of torments…and Elena collapsed under him.

Damon yanked her back up on all fours and had her grip the headboard.

"Hold tight baby," he growled and started to really fuck her into oblivion, swiveling his hips as he nailed her unmercifully.

It didn't take Elena long to be back in the game. She got to her knees and pushed back as he pounded into her. "Oh-my-God! Yes! Again! Harder!" she gasped. "Faster. Damon…Please!"

Damon was more than happy to oblige. He gripped the nape of her neck, while his other hand grabbed hold of the headboard to give him the leverage he needed to really fuck her like she wanted. Elena held onto the wooden headboard for dear life as Damon slammed home, over and over, making her quiver and shudder as she drew closer and closer to another blazing trip on the Orgasm-Express, courtesy of one, Damon Salvatore.

"I love being inside you," he growled, biting down on her shoulder, overcome by the instinctual need to dominate, conquer and make her his.

It triggered an instinctual response in Elena, too. And when she came this time, it was with a flood of liquid gushing out of her as she climaxed long and hard. She panted his name as the final aftershock tingled through her body, then she let go of the headboard and fell forward onto the mattress, crumbling into in a heap, to lie limp and utterly satisfied.

Damon was right behind her. The force of his upcoming orgasm threw off his timing and his hands gripped her hips tightly as he thrust once, maybe twice more erratically, before going over the edge himself. He threw his head back and groaned deeply in pleasure as he fell headlong into the cataclysmic world of a bliss so fanatical, it made him swear he'd found religion again!

In the afterglow of such a mind-numbing experience, they lay there, a sweaty tangle of naked limbs for several moments, allowing their heart rates to settle down. Not wanting to crush her under his weight, Damon rolled off her supine form to flop down next to her on the bed. That had literally been the best sex of his life! He ran a shaky hand through his sweat dampened hair, trembling like an addict as he tried to come back to planet Earth, before he froze… it dawned on him then (like a two ton boulder landing on his chest) that he'd utterly forgotten to wear a condom with her.

His stomach tightened and the urge to run snaked its way throughout his psyche. He cursed softly and fluently.

Surprised at his reaction to such a fantastic experience, Elena turned on her side to look at him. "Damon, what's wrong?"

Damon rolled onto his side too, facing her. She looked so sated and happy, he hated to ruin the moment; however, they needed to talk about their slip-up and pronto.

He leaned up on an elbow, staring down into her face. "Elena…" Words failed him for the first time in his life and he heaved a huge sigh. "Shit. There's no easy way to say this, so I'm gonna take the Band-Aid approach and just say it… I forgot the damned condom. I'm sorry. I don't have an excuse, except…you obviously make me crazy."

He looked about as sick as the sudden feeling that rushed through her tummy with his words, tying it in knots. Elena bolted upright, a worried gasp escaping her lips. "Oh no!" she said softly, her hand automatically going to her stomach where, as they spoke, he was alive inside her. "How could we have forgotten?" she asked, not really expecting an answer.

Elena couldn't believe they'd been so careless. Throughout their many romps last night, they'd come close, but they'd never actually forgot protection.

His eyes went down to where her palm rested against her flat, hard belly and he suddenly imagined it swollen with his baby. Damon was (more than a little) stunned when the image didn't send him running from the room as if the Devil himself was nipping at his heels!

With any other woman, it would have.

Damon's initial panic dwindled in the face of Elena's fear. "Hey," he said softly, tucking a stray strand of her hair behind her ear, "just so you know, I've never forgotten with anyone else," he told her, needing to reassure her in whatever way he could. He cleared his throat, uncomfortable talking about his previous escapades with her, but understanding she needed to know he was clean. "I swear to you, Elena, I always wear protection and I get tested regularly, so catching something isn't an issue." Both her hands were on her tummy now and Damon's eyes were drawn there again. He swallowed hard. It may have only been once, but that was all it took. He placed a hand on top of hers. "The only thing we have to worry about is…"

"Getting pregnant," she replied, saying it for him.

"Yeah," he agreed softly.

They were quiet for a moment, the ramifications of their wake up romp going through both their heads.

"Isn't there a pill?" Elena suddenly asked. "They call it 'the morning after pill' or something like that, right?"

Damon nodded. "Yeah, there is. We can pick it up at the pharmacy in town. As long as you take it within 24 hours of unprotected sex, it is supposed to eliminate the chance of getting pregnant."

Elena seemed to relax just a bit. "Damon, I know you've been with a lot of women…"

He sat up and his blue eyes were direct and intense as he met her gaze. "Elena, look at me. I swear to you—swear it—I never have unprotected sex."

"Never…" She raised a brow and let the comment linger. They wouldn't be having this conversation if that was the case.

"Well…until this morning, that is," he reiterated dryly. She still looked a bit unconvinced. "I'm serious, Elena. I worked for an escort company years ago and the first thing I learned was always bag it. Hell, sometimes double bag it, that way you don't take any chances. I can promise you—you're the only one who's made me forget that lesson."

Elena's eyes widened. "You were a gigolo?"

"Seriously, that was all you got out of that?"

"Were you?"

"Yeah, I was." She chewed on her bottom lip, an expression of sympathy drawing her brows down and Damon sighed. "Look, it's not a big deal, Elena. I was nineteen and young, dumb and full of cum," he teased. "It was the perfect job!"

"But…" she said hesitantly, "you prostituted yourself. Why?"

Damon managed not to cringe at the 'P' word. He'd never looked at it like that and the way Elena said it made him feel suddenly dirty.

His mask slipped back on. "Whatever, it was years ago," he replied flippantly. "Can we drop it?"

Elena could almost see his walls coming back up. "I'm not judging you, Damon. I just want to know you better. Why did you resort to that when your family obviously has money?" He remained silent and Elena turned on her side, facing him. "Please don't shut me out. Not now."

Damon could see she wasn't going to let the matter drop, so he sat up and made himself comfortable as he decided to give her a glimpse into his past. "My family may have money, but I didn't at the time," he said, letting himself go back in time for a moment. "After another blow-out with my Father about me not living up to the Salvatore name…I'd left home. I was eighteen and totally on my own for the first time ever," he explained, and Elena sat up too, fascinated.

"I did some odd jobs that got me enough money to head west and I ended up in Las Vegas. For the first week I was literally living on the streets and pan-handling cash in front of some of the better casinos." Elena made a small sound of sympathy, but Damon went on as if he hadn't heard it. "After a couple weeks I got hooked up with a local bookie who worked out of the Mirage and I started running bets for him. I was taking in the money for an upcoming fight when I met up with Sage." He shrugged. "She took one look at me and asked me if I'd ever considered making a living with my looks…"

"Sage?" Elena queried, interrupting him, "Was she your Madam?"

Damon laughed softly. "I guess you could call her that. She was actually a fight promoter; had an all-girl boxing league. She also ran an escort company. She was pretty amazing. Strong and totally sure of herself…"

"You were lovers," Elena quickly deduced.

He fiddled with a lock of Elena's long brown hair. "For a minute," he acceded, "but to me, it was more a learning experience. Sage was older, knew what she wanted and she definitely wasn't shy in showing me what a woman expected in the bedroom." He wriggled his brows at her, making Elena giggle. "You can thank her for all my amazing skills…"

"But, if you were hers—how did you end up an escort? Did she get tired of you?"

He looked offended. "You're kidding, right?"

Elena had sat up and tucked the sheet up under her armpits. "Well, what happened?"

He rolled his eyes. "You really want the whole sordid story?"

Elena nodded. This was the first time he'd ever given up any real personal information about himself and she wanted every detail.

Damon sighed and gave in. "Fine," he said, "but there's really nothing to it." Elena waited patiently before he finally began to tell her the story. "My illustrious escort career started a few months after me and Sage had been messing around. She was pretty hot and heavy, but I was in it for the fun, you know?" he said with a shrug. "Well, one night she had an escort bail on her for an event at the MGM. Now, normally, that might not have been a thing, but the client happened to be the wife of the owner of the hotel of her next fight. Sage was freaking out. Fucking this up would ruin her reputation in town…" He paused and leveled a serious look on her, "In Vegas—all you have is your word, trust me."

"So…" Elena asked, "she what? Asked you to take his place?"

Damon shook his head. "No. I volunteered."

"You what?!" she asked, shocked and showing it. "But why? Wasn't she mad?"

He grinned. "Elena, Sage was thirty four. She was totally into me, but let's face it—I was her nineteen year old playmate." Elena looked offended, but Damon chuckled. "She was a business woman first—my lover second. I can respect that." He wriggled his brows again and did that eye thing that made her weak in the knees. "Plus…she knew my skills. Hell, she'd taught me most of them! I was perfect for the job and she knew it," he stated with his infamous smirk.

For a moment she sat there stunned. He sounded cocky about it. Not at all like she pictured a runaway prostitute to sound…

"But you didn't have to sell yourself…" Elena said weakly, still trying to grasp why Damon had jumped into that kind of life when he had a woman who wanted to take care of him.

He laughed outright. "Are you serious? I was nineteen, Elena. Like I said—young dumb and full of cum! Name one nineteen year old healthy male who wouldn't jump at the chance to get paid to have sex!"

There was more to it than that and in a sudden epiphany she got it. "And it would be a way for you to make it on your own," she stated softly.

Damon's brow shot up at her insight into his motives, but he wasn't quite ready to admit she knew him so well. "Elena, I wasn't a victim," he said, making her look at him by taking her by the chin and turning her face to him." It's not like I was standing on a street corner selling my ass to a john for a quick fix. My clients were all fabulously wealthy women who were usually married to men who paid them no attention, or women who simply wanted eye candy to take them to public events. I loved every minute of it. I made these women feel impossibly good and got paid to do it." He turned his head and placed a kiss on her palm. "Don't feel sorry for me. No one got hurt and I made a ton of money and some very good contacts during my short stint as an escort."

"But you shouldn't have had to do that. Your family had all the money you could need—"

"My family," he said, interrupting her with a snort. "You mean my father?" He chuckled, but it was without humor. "He didn't give a damn about me, Elena. He made it pretty obvious when I was growing up that Stefan who was his favorite. After my Mom died it got worse…"

Elena debated telling him she'd read his mother's diary, but decided against it for now. "What did he do?"

"Let's just say he wasn't 'Father-of the-Year' material and leave it at that, okay?"

Elena's tender heart bled for him. He may act as if his past didn't mean anything, but Elena saw the pain he kept carefully hidden behind a façade of negligent arrogance and that made her decide to share a bit of her own personal family heartache.

"My father used to come home drunk and play 'eeny-meeny-miney-moe' to decide which kid he was going to beat for the night," she said softly.

Damon's eyes bulged. "Are you kidding?"

Elena shook her head. "Wish I was, but no. He used to line us up in the living room and literally do the 'eeny-meeny' thing and whichever kid got 'moe'—that one was the victim for the night."

That confession spurred Damon into confessing a trauma of his own. "My Father used to tell me I put extra strain on my mother's heart…"

His words trailed off, but Elena got the drift of what Giuseppe Salvatore had led his young son to believe. She gasped. "That's horrible! How could he say something so cruel?"

"I told you, my father didn't give a damn about me, but I was the heir and he used cruelty, his fists and finally his money to try and control me."

"My parents never had any money. They were more interested in getting loaded than taking care of their kids."

He was quiet for a moment and Elena waited, holding her breath for him to continue or comment about what she'd revealed.

"Jesus your parents sound worse than my dad!"

"They did say they loved us though," Elena said softly.

Damon blew out a breath. "Yeah, words—that'll keep you fed at night." He rolled his eyes. "You wanna know what the last conversation I had with my father was?" Elena nodded, curling up next to him. "It was when he told me it was a good thing my mother died so she didn't have to see what a waste of skin I'd turned out to be. He said either I start taking my role as heir to the Salvatore fortune seriously, which meant basically give up any dreams I had for myself, or I could get out of his house." He pursed his lips for a second. "I'm sure he thought that would make me toe-the-line. Instead, I chose to get out and I've never regretted the decision." He looked deeply into her eyes. "Never," he stated again.

"Your father was a complete an utter ass, Damon and he was also wrong." She stroked his chiseled jaw. "You took a terrible childhood and made something of yourself. That is something to be proud of and while I hate that you grew up with that, at least you knew you would always be able to eat and have hot water," she muttered. "My parents never inspired us to make something of ourselves."

Damon began to rub his hands up and down her back soothingly and she relaxed into his touch as the story of her childhood came pouring out of her. "They were both raging alcoholics and drug addicts. I left home at eighteen, too. I joined the Army to get away from them, because John and Isobel were either constantly blowing the rent on shots at the local bar or lining the pockets of some random drug dealer!" She snorted. "Trust me. Their kids were nowhere near their top ten of 'things to take care of'!" She looked both sad and sickened reliving the painful memories. Damon felt honored she was sharing them with him. "We lost our electricity and water at least 2 or 3 times a year when I was growing up. I remember going almost a week once with no water or power. We had to go down to the rest stop off the highway to shower before school!"

Damon's eyes widened at that. Her file hadn't come close to describing what she and her siblings had gone through and suddenly, Kat's need for security made a little more sense.

Elena looked haunted and Damon had the almost irresistible urge to pull her into his arms and tell her nothing bad would ever touch her again. He continued to rub her back gently, letting her talk as much or as little as she wanted.

"I can't remember a time when we actually sat down as a family to eat," she said sadly. "Isobel wasn't much of a cook. Most of the time we were lucky if we came home and there was some soup or a frozen dinner in the fridge. I remember one time when I was like eight and there was literally nothing in the house to eat, but a jar of mayonnaise, some ketchup and a few slices of bread." She leaned into his touch, sighing as his fingers found a particularly stubborn knot in her back. "Kat improvised and made us all these mayonnaise and ketchup sandwiches…"

Damon's fingers froze and he made a face at the thought of eating something so atrocious. Elena glanced over her shoulder, caught his expression and echoed it. "I know," she said, grimacing, "Gross, right? But when you're hungry…"

"You do what you have to do," he said for her.

Elena gave a small nod and Damon couldn't even imagine that kind of parental neglect. His abuse had been on a very different level. Emotionally and at times physically, it had been a real bitch, but he'd never had to worry about the basic needs for survival like having a roof over his head, water to bathe or food in his belly.

"I can't even imagine that," he said in sympathy. "Giuseppe was no prize, but we never had to go to bed hungry or worry if our lights were going to be shut off."

"But, he abused you emotionally." Elena sighed. "Sometimes I think that can be one of the worst kind of abuse."

Damon worried his bottom lip for a moment as he debated how much to tell her about his childhood. He hadn't let a woman close since Katherine. He preferred to keep his current relationships based strictly on fulfilling each other's sexual desires. He wasn't the cuddling type and any form of pillow talk after the sex was over was an absolute a no-no.

A part of him wanted to, but he simply couldn't eliminate all his defenses in one night. Instead he compromised. "Look, Elena…what I feel for you is different. It's complicated and it's crazy. It'll probably hurt somewhere down the road, too," he added with a smirk, "but I don't want to relegate it to the 'one-night-stand' pile, if you know what I mean?"

Elena's nodded, her lips curling into a small smile. It wasn't a declaration of love, by any means, but it was a start and it would do…for now.

**************************D&E*********************D& E**********************************************D&E ********************D&E*******************D&E***** **************

**Mystic Falls: The Mystic Grille**

Elijah Första was sitting at a table in his bar. He had a copy of the Wall Street Journal on the table and was sipping from a cup of tea. His brother Klaus, on the other hand, was agitated as he paced across the tiled floor, the heels of his boots clicking back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, until finally, Elijah had had enough.

"Niklaus!" he snapped, setting his paper down. "If you insist on forming a permanent path on the floor, could you please do it outside where the patrons of our fine establishment might follow it?"

Klaus stopped immediately and turned to Elijah. "Well," he said with deadly charm, "excuse me brother, if I don't understand your sit and wait it out attitude when it comes to Katarina. We had her yesterday, but you hesitated and wouldn't let our men act when she left the grounds with that simpering husband of hers." He leaned against the table, palms flat as he stared down at Elijah. "And now it seems she's back at home, " he said derisively, "Safe and sound, tucked within the walls of her husband's compound and out of our reach." His cherry red lips curled into a sarcastic smirk. "Brilliant plan"

Elijah rubbed the bridge of his nose in irritation. Yesterday's failure had made him angry, too. "I had our men stationed strategically to take their limo. You know it was a good plan. Take the car before they got to the airport and make it look like a simple robbery—hostage situation. However, I had not expected them to turn around." He picked up his tea. "Now, we wait for another opportunity to present itself and it will. At least, we know where she is now, thanks to Elena…"

"Ahh yes…Elena," Klaus said. "It seems she hasn't turned into quite the reliable conspirator."

Elijah waved him off with a flick of his hand. "We have to give her time, Nik. I told you that.":

"I have no desire to wait for Elena to present us with another opportunity!" Klaus shouted. "We had that yesterday and lost it!" He pushed off from the table and headed for the bar for a drink. "I want to head straight up to Connecticut right now, and rip her fucking heart out myself!" he growled, pouring a healthy dose of Grey Goose Vodka into his glass. "I want her dead 'Lijah. I thought you understood that."

Elijah sighed as his brother pouted like the petulant, yet deadly child he was. "I understand your needs," he told his younger sibling. "Haven't I always? Wasn't I the one who told you we would find her and wasn't I the one who cleaned up the messes you made in your search for her?"

Klaus glanced away—he did not like being called on the carpet and Elijah knew him too well for it to be an even match. He also wasn't interested in discussing some of his other, more grisly exploits in trying to find the oh-so-elusive Katherine Gilbert. "Yes, you have and while appreciate the efforts you've made in always having my back, brother," he said softly, "but again, I'm asking you…why are we still here? We know where the little bitch is; why are we not going after her ourselves!?"

Elijah tossed his paper aside in a rare show of temper. "Because, you idiot! She isn't a homeless, seventeen year old girl anymore!" he snapped, scaring off any of the help that had been lingering in the area. He watched them scatter like rats and turned to his brother, trying to keep control over himself. Elijah deplored a loss of control more than anything.

"Her husband is one of the wealthiest men in America, Nik. You do not simply kidnap his wife and not expect to have each and every law enforcement resource that the United States Government has to offer looking for you." Elijah raised a haughty brow. "Is that a clear enough reason for you to not just rush down there and murder the girl in front of her family? Or do you want to spend the rest of your life in an American prison?!"

Klaus wasn't happy, it was obvious by the look on his face, but he did see the reasoning behind his brother's planning. "Then what do you suggest we do about the situation?" he growled. "Because, if it the very last thing I do on this planet, I _will_ feel that bitch's neck between my hands, as I crush the very life out of her!"

Elijah had already known Klaus would not be patient about his plan, but he had to make his brother see that rushing headlong after Kat would only get them into a situation that could very well send them fleeing the country. And Elijah did not want to leave the United States. The land of opportunities…yes, it had been that to him and so much more.

"We need to be smart about this," he told Klaus. "I've been thinking—"

"Yes, I'm sure you have," Klaus interrupted. "It seems that is all you have been doing lately."

Elijah ignored the taunt. "I believe the best way to get Katarina alone is to have her sister bring her to us."

Klaus snorted. "You say that, brother, as if you actually believe she would ever do such a thing."

"She might, if I tell her about our connection with her sister and how we simply want Kat to pay us back the money she owes us."

"And how do you propose we make her believe that nonsense?"

Elijah got up and went behind the bar to pour himself a drink. He'd need its calming influence if he wanted to convince his brother his way was the right way. "It's the truth, or part of it, why wouldn't she believe it?"

"Because," Klaus railed, "it's about as far from the truth as you can get! I do not want or need that money, Elijah, I need that bitch to die…by my own hand preferably! And if I have to go there and drag her out of her comfortable little palace by her hair to do so." His face went deadly cold and a slow smile spread across his face. "Then that is exactly what I shall do."

Klaus's evil smirk gave truth to his words and Elijah didn't doubt his brother. He knew the violence Nik was capable of. Hadn't he had to clean it up and make it go away often enough?! However, in this instance, with the money backing Katarina, subtlety, rather than smash and grab, was needed. Elijah knew he was far better at subterfuge than his brother.

"And then, as I said before, we would have the FBI and every law enforcement agency of the Eastern seaboard looking for us. Is that what you want?"

"No," Klaus admitted, still raging, but allowing his brother's common sense to flow into his reasoning. "Those blokes have proven to be rather annoying. I don't fancy having any more of them sniffing around."

"Exactly," Elijah said. "That is why, if you will listen to me, I have a better plan." Elijah poured Klaus a drink and came around the bar to hand it to his brother. "Now, when I first met Elena, she asked about her brother and Jeremy only. Elena doesn't know we even know her sister. When she comes to settle her debt for Jeremy, I will tell her that Katarina—um—Katherine," he corrected, (using her proper name instead of the one Klaus and he had given her) "took some money from us several years ago."

"Why would she believe that?" Klaus butted in.

"Because, if she knows her sister at all, this will not be a surprise to her," Elijah shot back. "Now listen. After I make Elena see we are 'in a way' (he air-quoted the words) after Kat, I will tell her we will accept repayment of the 50,000 plus six years interest as repayment and then it is over." He took a sip of his drink. "Elena will convince Katarina and when she brings us the money, we get rid of both of them."

Klaus laughed out loud. "That is your grand plan?! Let her sister talk her into it?" He started to clap sarcastically. "Oh, well, now I'm, wondering, why did I worry? I mean, this is foolproof. What could possibly go wrong with this plan?" Klaus snapped his fingers. "Oh! I know…maybe this Elena will decide that is none of her business and simply save her brother." He smirked. "We all know how sisters can be, don't we?"

Elijah snarled a little at the subtle hint at Rebekah and what Klaus had done to her. "Don't. Don't bring her up. You won't like what I do to you if you do."

Klaus's eyes widened and he laughed. "Take your best shot, brother, but you and I both know…in the violence department, I will always win. Hands down."

Elijah took a sip of his drink. "Do you want to fight with me, Niklaus, or do you want to finalize our plan to capture the woman who tortured us both? If you listen to me, we can have our revenge on Katarina. I have faith in Elena…after all she convinced us not to kill her when she slammed your face into the bar and almost ripped your arm out of its socket…" He smirked at the livid look on Klaus's face at the reminder. "Did she not?"

Elijah nodded when Klaus had no more smart assed comments to offer. "Good, now that it's settled, this is what we are going to do."

Klaus suddenly grinned diabolically. "We'll try it your way, Elijah, but if you fail..." He smirked. "Well, we can always kill the brother, now can't we? I would think that should bring your Elena to heel and quickly."

******************D&E******************D&E******** *************D&E**************

**Okay guys…there is the next installment. I worked and re-worked this chappie, but in the end…I was happy with it for the most part. Let the musie know what you think—remember—reviews are love and musie is a greedy little thing that loves each and every word tossed her way. ;)**


	14. Chapter 14

**All's Fair in Love and War **

**A fic by Jenna, AKA: Angel's Blue Eyed Girl**

**Rating: M**

**Disclaimer: I own none of the characters. I simply like to take them out, play with them, but at the end of the day I return them :( Wish I owned Damon…**

**A/N: Okay, first off I know this fic has been sadly neglected. All of my fics have. But I had a very rough year last year. I've shared this before (in this story as a matter of fact) I have Bi-Polar Disorder and it sometimes affects me in ways that I cannot even describe to you unless you've experienced it. I was so bad in 2013/2014 that I was actually hospitalized for a spell. It was tremendously traumatizing for me and it has taken me some time to get over the experience. But—as I have in the past—I battled my demons and I've come out the other side of this disorder once again. I refuse to let this dragon slay me! I know I have lost most of my readers here…but I can only hope this fic will find an audience again. I have made a vow to finish each and every fic I have posted here before I start anything new. This is one of the ones musie seems to be fired up about. I'm gonna run with that enthusiasm.**

**Okay…enough of me. Let's get on with the show. It might help to go back and read chappie 13 of this before you read this. But to give you a cliff-notes version: Elena and Damon had a night of wild passionate sex where Katherine (unbeknownst to D&E) found them in the buff the morning after. Klaus and Elijah are plotting (as usual-right) to get Kat by using Elena. Damon knows about the plot to seduce Stefan. And poor Steffie—well he's in the dark—right where I like him. Lol! ;)**

**Okay, if you want the details—read this again before you read this chappie.**

**Thank you to each and every one of my friends here who have supported me and asked about me. It means so much. **

**Hugs,**

**Jenna**

******************************************D&E******************************************

**Chappie 14: **

**The Pool House on the Salvatore Estate:**

The sun was barely rising as Damon sat on the bed and stroked a finger down Elena's cheek. She was still asleep and there was nothing he wanted more than to crawl right back in bed with her, but he had to make an appearance at the office today. He had a huge deal to close and he'd already heard an earful from the other board members on his no-show yesterday.

Elena gave a little moan and rolled over, exposing the naked line of her back and the little dip in her spine right where it met her spectacular ass; Damon had to bite his lip to keep his moan in check. He'd just had her—he glanced at the clock (6:30 am) less than two hours ago, yet his dick was hard and ready for another round with just a glimpse of her naked body.

Yep, he was addicted.

Elena turned her head and blinked open her big brown eyes. "Hey," she said, her voice roughened with sleep, but then she smiled and it made something within his chest jump.

He felt an answering one tug at his own lips. "Hey yourself," he replied softly. "Listen, I have to go to work, but I didn't want to leave without saying goodbye."

It wasn't his norm. With most of his women he had no problems making a clean getaway without the 'morning after conversation', but (as usual) with Elena, all his norms went right out the window, and he'd felt compelled to wake her up before he left.

Elena sat up in bed, modestly tucking the sheet under her armpits while she pouted adorably. "I miss you already."

Damon almost groaned out loud. She was killing him. "Ditto, babe, but I have to go. My board of directors reamed me a new on for flaking yesterday."

Elena suddenly yawned and Damon reminded her they'd only had about three hours' sleep. "Go back to bed, baby, but if you would...I'd appreciate it if you'd lock up before you leave. If Lupe finds this place like this…" he waved a hand at the bottles of booze he'd consumed before Elena's arrival, "she'll kill me."

Elena chuckled huskily. "You're scared of her, aren't you?"

Damon made a face of mock horror. "You bet I am. That woman packs a hell of a wallop! Believe me," he told her with that sexy little half smile of his, "I felt it on my backside enough when I was kid to know."

Elena crinkled up her nose. "Okay, Lupe spanking you is so not a visual I want in my head."

Damon burst out laughing. "Wow. What a little perv you are, Elena. I was ten and there was nothing weird about it."

Elena turned away for a moment, her features tightening and Damon could feel her mood shifting—it was something dark, and while he wanted to ask her about it and what had caused it, he didn't have the time, so he headed off the scene, reminding himself to ask her later when he could get to the bottom of it.

"I'm going to miss you too, you know," he said. The sheet dropped a bit, giving him a good view of her cleavage. "I really—you have no idea how much I wish I didn't have to go, but we have a huge deal with a company developing this new drug and I have to be there for it." He smiled. "If I didn't I'd be in that bed and we'd already be rounding orgasm number two of the morning. Trust me."

Elena swallowed thickly, his words making her belly clench with desire. "When will you be home?"

"Will it get me another smile if I promise to be home by seven," he said, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Maybe," Elena sniffed, but then she blew her blasé attitude by grinning. "Okay yeah," she said, reaching up and taking hold of his tie. She tugged him closer until their lips were only inches apart. "But a kiss would really earn you some brownie points."

"Oh, I'm all for stashing up brownie points," Damon said and kissed her.

Elena moaned softly, her fingers digging into his soft hair and opening her mouth to allow the kiss to deepen which Damon immediately took advantage of. His tongue swept into her mouth to mate with hers deliciously, reminding them both of the passion that brewed between them.

His phone buzzed and with a groan of disappointment, Damon reluctantly broke the kiss and pulled away. He checked the caller ID and sighed. "I gotta go, 'Lena. I'll see you tonight. Right?"

Elena let the sheet fall, exposing her breasts for a moment and Damon's eyes immediately dropped to them, another groan escaping him, before she launched herself at him and hugged him. Damon caught her easily just as she laid one on him, kissing him one last time.

When she finally pulled back, they were both breathing hard.

"Yes," she murmured, her eyes drinking in the beauty that was Damon Salvatore. "I'll be here. Promise."

He nodded. Went to leave, but then turned right back around, grabbed her hand and dragged her right up onto her knees. The sheet fell away completely giving him a full frontal of her naked body.

"Damon!" Elena gasped, suddenly feeling shy.

Damon stayed her hands when they went to cover herself. "No. This vision is going to get me through work today," he quipped, letting his gaze roam over her for one long moment. "I'll see you tonight," he said before swooping down and stealing another kiss.

And then before he could change his mind and listen to the smaller brain south of his belt buckle that was screaming at him to screw work, he headed out the door without looking back; knowing if he did so, he wouldn't leave.

Elena watched him go with a goofy smile on her face. When the door shut behind his far too tempting behind, she fell back on the bed with a sigh.

Oh yeah, she was in trouble. She'd fallen in love…with the man who swore to never love again.

Great!

***************************************D&E***************************************

Later that morning, Elena had just stepped out of the shower, a towel wrapped around her naked, still wet body, when Katherine entered her room without so much as a knock. Elena gasped, clutching her towel tight in surprise, but as usual, Katherine showed no remorse for barging right on in her personal space.

"Did you talk to Damon about his snooping?" the elder twin asked in lieu of a greeting.

"Uh…" For a moment Elena's mind went blank. Her and Damon had talked—quite a bit actually especially when you considered they'd been naked at the time, however, not about that.

"Well?" Katherine prompted, the tapping of her foot the only indication that she was impatient and upset. She knew full well what Damon and Elena had been up to and she highly doubted that talking (of any kind) had been high on the priority list!

Katherine was obviously agitated and it was only by sheer force of will Elena managed to keep her expression free from the nagging guilt that began to worm its way into her consciousness. She'd slept with the man her sister considered hers, but then again, Katherine was married to Damon's brother and far from an innocent party in this whole debacle. With that reminder in place, she looked her sister right in the eye and lied to her face. "Yeah, I did actually. He explained everything," she said blending the truth with fiction. "He just wants to help, Kat. He even said he'd take care of Jeremy's debt with Klaus and Elijah."

Elena dropped her towel and started to dress, keeping one wary eye on her sister, gauging her reaction as she quickly stepped into a pair of panties and slipped an olive green ARMY tank top over her head.

"Oh, I bet he did," Kat replied, sarcasm dripping off every word as her mind flashed back to the image of a very naked Damon wrapped around the equally nude form of her sister. "And just what made him offer up his checkbook? Or would it be more accurate to ask, what did you offer him?"

Pulling on a pair of jeans, Elena frowned at that, not at all liking what Kat was implying. "Nothing," she told her, and that was the truth. Thankfully, Damon had offered his help before they'd slept together, otherwise Katherine's words might have given her pause, but Elena recognized the bitchiness in her sister's statement; leave it to Katherine to believe no one would ever do anything nice just because.

Katherine sure as hell hadn't!

"He's offering to help without asking for anything...despite knowing it was me that left with Stefan yesterday." Elena paused and gave her sister a heated glare. "No thanks to you. I love the way you spilled the beans about _your_ plan and threw me under the bus about it, but neglected to tell him you're the one who blackmailed me into it!" Elena snorted. "Nice."

"I didn't have a choice," Kat explained with a sigh, looking down at her nails as if bored. She couldn't look at her sister, sure her eyes would expose the vengeful wrath simmering just beneath her calm surface. "Even though I was dressed as you, he knew it was me. What was I supposed to say? Trick or Treat?"

"I guess not, but still…" Elena shook her head. She just wanted this whole situation behind them. Maybe if she just got Katherine to see how crazy her plan was, she'd give up on Damon and focus on fixing her marriage to Stefan. "You know what? It doesn't matter. I'm glad he knows," she said, missing the fury that tightened Katherine's features. "This way we can start over and maybe you and Damon can repair the damage you've done to each other and you can move on with Stefan."

Elena desperately wanted it to be true, she was always the mediator, but it was the impossible pipe dream. And the words had no sooner left her mouth when Katherine's head snapped up, their gazes met, and for the first time Elena got a glimpse at the rage brewing under her sister's blasé attitude.

Elena's eyes widened. "You can't still be thinking of going through with your plan?" she hissed.

Katherine tossed her chocolate curls defiantly. "What if I am?"

Elena couldn't believe the gall of her sister! "Oh. My. God. Are you crazy?! Katherine, Damon knows. If he finds out you're still plotting—he's telling Stefan everything. Believe it! And then you'll have nothing. No Damon. No Stefan. No marriage and no security!" Elena stressed the last part because she knew how important a safety net was to her sister. "You have to forget Damon," she said gently, "what you had with him is in the past. Let it stay there. Work on fixing your marriage instead. It's better for all of us."

When Katherine's expression remained mutinous, Elena grabbed her hands, frantic to make her sister see reason. "Please, for once in your life, don't act on impulse. Think about what you're about to do. If you continue with this plot of yours, not only will you lose Damon forever, but you'll lose your husband and the life you've built with him here. Think about that…please!"

Elena was desperate. The last thing she wanted was for Kat to force Damon's hand. She had no doubts Damon would tell Stefan—even if it meant blowing up his own relationship with his brother. The elder Salvatore brother was not the type of man to be held hostage. He'd shoot himself in the foot and take them all down with him before he'd allow that to happen.

Elena needed to make Katherine see that!

But Katherine wasn't having it. "And you get to…what? Waltz away with Damon and live happily ever after?" She shook her head. "Oh no. I don't think so, Elena."

"Katherine!" Elena cried. "Be reasonable. It'll never work now that Damon knows. Face it…he's lost to you."

For several long moments, Katherine's bull-headedness made her blindly determined to follow through with her original designs, but Elena's words finally sunk in and she realized her sister was right, Damon _was_ lost to her. It infuriated her, because she desired him above all others, but there was simply nothing more she could do to win him back. He'd made his decision last night when he'd taken her sister into his bed. However…there was something she could do to make sure Elena didn't end up with him either. And in an instant, her s ingle-minded determination switched from getting Damon back, to plotting his downfall.

Katherine straightened her shoulders, gave her sister a smile, placating the younger twin, and began to spin the new plan that was formulating in her devious mind. "You're right, Elena," she said softly, putting just the right amount of sorrow in her voice. "I didn't want to see it because…like I told you…I realized I still love him, but I guess it's pretty obvious…he doesn't love me anymore. I was foolish to think I could make him feel that again through sex. If anyone should know sex doesn't equal love—it should be me, right?" It was a well-placed barb, with several meanings, and Katherine watched her sister's reactions under her lashes, a small cruel smirk twisting her lips when Elena flinched as it struck home with deadly accuracy.

Having successfully planted the seed of doubt about Damon's affections in Elena's mind, Katherine moved ahead with her tale, putting her plan for revenge into full swing. "I was also wrong to ask you to seduce, Stefan." She gave a bitter little laugh. "Call it a 'Hail Mary pass' from a desperate woman who realized she'd let the one man she truly loved slip through her fingers. It was stupid and selfish, but I want to make it right. Let me give you the money for Jeremy. If I do this…it'll be the first truly unselfish thing I've done in like…forever!" She took Elena's face in her hands. "Please. I want to make this right. If I gave you the money right now, could you get it to Elijah and Klaus by tomorrow and make sure Jeremy was safe?"

Caught in a quandary, Elena didn't know what to do. On one hand, Damon said he'd help her and he seemed to genuinely care about her, but Katherine's words about sex and love were ringing in her ears; Elena was well aware of just how many times Damon had had sex minus any feelings involved. Was their tryst really meaningful to him? Or was she just another notch on his bedpost? And now Katherine wanted to make things right. Elena was confused. She wanted both of her hopes for a bright future to be real. She wanted her sister back and she wanted Damon. But could she really have both?

"Elena," Katherine prodded, "I'll get you the money today—right now. Let's just go to the bank and I can have you the cash in an hour and then I can do the right thing…"

"Why now?" Elena suddenly asked. She didn't want to be suspicious of her sister's motivations, but Kat's track record wasn't exactly spotless and she had to ask. "Why are you suddenly willing to help Jeremy, when you were dead-set against it before?"

"I wasn't actually against helping Jeremy," Katherine said calmly.

"No. You just wanted me to seduce your husband first, so you could have Damon."

Kat sighed. She could see where Elena was going with this line of questioning. She had to nip it in the bud. "And because I didn't get Damon…you want to know why am I offering to help now?"

Elena nodded. "Yeah. I mean, you didn't get what you wanted. I know you. When that happens, it usually ends badly for anyone who stood in your way. So, why the change of heart, Kat? Explain your epiphany to me so I can understand it."

And believe it Elena added silently.

"Would it be so difficult for you to believe that I want to help now because it's the right thing to do?" Elena simply raised a brow, so Kat switched gears, giving her sister an excuse more believable because it had a small basis in truth. "Fine. I'm thinking maybe if I pay off Jeremy's debts, Damon will see that I'm not as heartless and selfish as he believes. And if he stops hating me, he won't tell Stefan what I tried to do." She smiled, but it wasn't one of joy. "Happy now?"

"Actually, I am. Thank you for being honest with me and while I wish you were offering just because you love your brother…this is a step in the right direction, Kat."

"Terrific. I've convinced you I'm rehabilitating from big-bad-bitch-syndrome. But, I'm not quite up to hugging it out yet, so answer me this… Do you want my help, or not? Because if you don't, I'll understand. But if you do…I'm giving it. Freely and without conflict this time."

"I do," Elena said, smiling happily already fast forwarding in her mind when she could give Klaus and Elijah their money and remove the 'proverbial' blade hanging over her brother's neck! She was so happy she hugged Kat anyways. "Thank you," she murmured. "I know this 'doing the right thing' feeling is uncomfortable, but you won't regret it, Kat. I promise."

Katherine's slow, lazy smile was treacherous and had Elena seen it alarm bells would have went off in her head signaling 'danger'! "Oh, I know I won't. Trust me," she said returning Elena's hug briefly before she pulled back. "So…" She waved a hand at the door. "Let's get to the bank, shall we?"

Elena nodded, her grin spreading across her face from ear to ear. She was excited. Her thoughts so focused on Katherine's about face and helping her brother, that in her excitement, she completely forgot to tell Damon what she was doing…

****************************************D&E*******************************************

**New York City: Damon's Manhattan Office**

Damon was leaning back in his chair, contemplating the Manhattan skyline and thinking about Elena when his private phone buzzed; he picked it up on the first ring. "Yeah, Rebekah?"

His uppity blonde British secretary announced he had a "Mason Lockwood on line one".

Damon thanked her and hung up before she could ask him if he needed anything else, especially since her anything else's had begun to trail into the inappropriate lately, and while he'd normally indulge in that kind of behavior, (Rebekah was sexy and just the kind of distraction he usually preferred) his thoughts were so focused on Elena, no other woman seemed to rate on his radar.

He might find that frightening, if he wasn't feeling pretty damned happy about it.

"Mason," he said leaning back in his seat with a smile, "what's up?"

"Well, don't you sound cheerful?" his longtime friend and private eye returned. "Either you got laid or Rose has already given you better Intel on your twins that what I've got."

"Ha. Look who decided to grow a funny bone," Damon quipped sarcastically, but he was teasing; his mood couldn't be dimmed. For the first time in a long time, he was totally happy. He'd had the most amazing day and night in his life with Elena and he could see something special happening between them. And if that wasn't enough to put him over the moon, he'd closed a billion dollar deal this morning when he acquired the rights to a new drug that looked promising in relieving the symptoms of Alzheimer's. If the mass clinical tryout did as well as in house testing—this drug wouldn't just make him a ton of money… It could literally change the world. With his love life in sync with his financial, Damon was floating on Cloud Nine right about now and nothing was going to bring him down today.

He kicked his feet up on the desk. "Is there a point to this call or are you just calling to be an ass?"

"Actually, there is a reason for my call. I have some pretty serious information on Katherine if you're still interested?"

"Of course I'm still interested. As long as Katherine's breathing the same air as me she's a threat. What is it?"

There was the sound of pages being turned before Mason started to speak. "Okay, so it took a lot of palms getting greased to get this, but I think you'll find it enlightening. I've got school records here and a court document filed by one Dr. Miranda Grayson on behalf of Katherine Tatianna Gilbert. Dr. Grayson petitioned to have Kat removed from her home, Damon, and placed into the foster care system."

Damon felt his stomach knot up and his legs dropped off the desk as he sat forward, the wheels of his chair landing with a thunk. It was the same sound his heart had made when his hopes and dreams had been crushed so long ago, and he just knew…this was going to be just as heartbreaking. "What? Why?"

Mason sighed. He'd debated telling his friend this information. But Damon was a stickler about details—meaning he wanted them all and Mason had finally decided to give his friend the scoop and let Damon sort it out as he saw fit.

"Mason," Damon prodded, "what happened to Kat that had the good Doctor removing her from her home?"

"Something that should never happen to any child," Mason growled and then proceeded to read the report, not holding back any of the information he'd gathered. "It seems during freshman year, Katherine started exhibiting signs of sexual abuse. According to Dr. Grayson's notes, Katherine was assigned to her for counseling. They got pretty close and Miranda believed it was Kat's father that was abusing her. Katherine eventually confirmed it and Dr. Grayson had Katherine removed from the house pending the investigation."

Damon leaned an elbow on his desk, sinking into his chair as he processed that bit of information. His chest felt tight—constricted and he felt sick that Katherine had been exposed to something as horrible as molestation. Mason was right. That was something *no* child (or anyone for that matter) should ever have to go through. There had been times—things Kat had said that had made him question her childhood, but she'd been so tightlipped about it all, he'd never been able to peel back her layers and see what was underneath. To understand what she'd gone through. The only reason he (now) knew that the report Mason had was probably true, was because of Elena and her confessions about her upbringing the other night. The things Elena had discussed in their 'pillow talk' had shed a whole new light on Katherine's past as well.

No wonder Katherine was so messed up!

"So what eventually happened?"

Mason made a sound of disgust. "One serious bit of fucked up fate intervened and the poor kid got screwed. According to the court documents, before the case could even go before a judge, Dr. Grayson and her husband were killed in a freak car accident off some abandoned bridge. After that Katherine refused to testify against her father and the State didn't have a case anymore. With Dr. Grayson dead, her notes regarding Katherine were excluded from testimony because she hadn't been questioned before a Grand jury and no deposition had taken place. All they had was the hearsay notes of a dead doctor and an uncooperative minor as a victim. The case was dismissed and Katherine was returned to her family."

"And right back into her father's hands," Damon added, closing his eyes briefly. He was sickened to his core as he digested Mason's information and the ramifications of how it must have affected Katherine. "So, once again…everyone, including the justice system, had abandoned her." He shook his head. "Fuck!"

Mason gave an affirmative grunt. "My thoughts exactly, bro. Let me tell you something, if that fucker wasn't already dead, I think I might just go track him down myself and make him pay for doing that to his little girl. I mean what kind of monster does that to his baby?!"

Damon shook his head. "I don't know, Mas, but so many things about Kat make sense now. How distrustful and needy she is for security. I should have seen it—done something. Instead I just assumed she was a calculating bitch and ignored all the signs that said something deeper was wrong there."

"Damon," Mason said, ending Damon's self-flagellation. "Hey, I didn't bring this to your attention just so you could forget everything Kat has done to you in the past. No fucking way, man."

"Mason…" Damon began, but his friend cut him off.

"No. Hold up, just listen to me. Yeah, she had some real fucked up breaks, but once she was out of that house, she started making her own choices. And when she decided to marry your brother while telling you she loved you…that was a conscious choice. She chose the money over you. Just because she had some real fucking losers for parents doesn't excuse all that shit. Her sister had the same loser parents and from what I've been able to gather on Elena, she's squeaky clean from head to toe. Hell, the girl is even a damned war hero! So remember that. Same cookie cutters—two totally different breed of cookies! Okay?"

Damon chuckled softly, appreciating Mason's passion for sticking up for him—even when it wasn't really needed. "I know, Mas. And trust me, I won't be waiting in line for a 'Team Katherine' T-shirt anytime in this lifetime. I can promise you. Kat may have had a rough time of it, but her scars are burned too deep for me to ever forget."

"Good," Mason said and then started to needle him about his skin being too thick for anyone to ever really penetrate and Damon was relieved to let the sensitive topic of Katherine drop. Their conversation quickly went on to safer, far less disturbing matters and within moments Mason had Damon laughing over a ridiculous story about his nephew Tyler getting a hold of some kind of male "un-happy pills" (apparently they made a guy totally limp down south) and then nearly getting busted by his C.O while the pills were in his possession.

"If he'd been caught…?" Mason laughed as he role-played the C.O. "Mr. Lockwood, can you explain to me why would you need these kind of pills? Is there a problem the ARMY should know about?" he chortled, busting up. "Can you just imagine that conversation, bro?"

Damon shook his head, chuckling. "I don't want to. Your nephew is just damned lucky he wasn't caught." He rolled his eyes. "Jesus that would be one of those top ten most embarrassing moments of all time!" Mason agreed and Damon asked, "So, did he ever tell you why he had them to begin with?"

"Nah. His lips were sealed as tight as a nuns knickers on this one. The only thing I could get out of him was the pills were for a friend."

"Must be some friend," Damon replied with a smirk, having no idea Tyler's friend had been Elena…

***************************************D&E******************************************

**Fell's Church: The Salvatore House:**

At seven pm on the dot, Damon pulled into the driveway that led to his home. He flashed the guard manning the gate a smile as the guy buzzed him. Damon tapped his fingers on the steering wheel impatiently as he waited for the large metal doors to swing open, allowing him to drive inside. As he drove up the long gravel driveway that led to the house, it suddenly occurred to him why they now had a private security detail working the house when (in all the years before) it had never been necessary. He'd always wondered why Stefan had installed a guard-shack to monitor the gate, but after learning of Katherine's past, he figured he knew why. He be willing to bet his last dollar it had been Kat that had insisted on it in an attempt to ensure the Första brothers couldn't just waltz on in. Not that he blamed her. If he had two mass murderers looking for him, he supposed he'd want extra security too. And from what Rose told him, those guys were worthy of an extra guard or two. They sounded like trouble with a Capital T!

He parked in his usual spot next to Katherine's black Mercedes, surprised to see Stefan's red Porsche in the driveway as well; his brother rarely made it home before he did. It took him a second to realize Elena's rented Toyota was gone, and when he did, disappointment assailed him for a minute. He'd been looking forward to seeing her. But as quick as it came, it was replaced by the anticipation of when she'd return. He'd wanted to take her out tonight, but he supposed it could wait—hopefully, she'd be willing to spend the night getting reacquainted in the same manner as they'd gotten so friendly last night.

Was he being an ass to expect her to jump right back in bed with him? Was he rushing things? She'd acted like she wanted more than a one night stand, but maybe she didn't. Was that why she was gone?

Doubts and questions plagued him and Damon spun the scenarios for why she'd left so abruptly around and around for a moment before he finally stopped and shut his head down.

Fuck! He was acting like a teenage girl embroiled in a first crush!

And that embarrassing thought brought him back to reality with a thud. He decided to play it cool and see where Elena went before he made even more of an ass out of himself. She was probably at the store or something and he was immediately assuming the worst…

He shook his head at himself as he let himself in. Little did he know what was waiting for him inside…

****************************************D&E******************************************

Katherine's surveillance monitors alerted her to Damon's arrival. With a frown, she noted the time—seven O'clock. Before Elena, Damon had never made it home before nine or ten pm. Sometimes he didn't come home at all, preferring to stay in the apartment he had in the city. But even when he did make the drive from New York to Connecticut, he had never—ever—regularly arrived home in time for dinner like he had these last few weeks. Ever since her sister had blown into her life again, Damon had become a regular nine to five Joe.

It pissed Katherine off to no end.

This further proof of Damon's obvious attraction to Elena enraged Kat, cementing her determination to carry on with the plan she'd already set in motion earlier today when she'd given her sister a hundred and fifty thousand dollars, sent her on her way and then packed all her belongings, making it appear as if she was never coming back.

Now all she had to do was lead Damon into seeing Elena was gone, plant a few seeds of doubt about when (if ever) she was returning and his own insecurities should do the rest. Katherine smirked. Knowing Damon the way she did, he'd assume the worst. And when he self-destructed, he'd destroy whatever budding relationship he and Elena had…and she'd win.

Katherine hummed to herself as she stowed the last of Elena's things deep within her huge walk-in closet before making her way out of her suite and downstairs to set the next step of her plan in motion.

"Let the games begin, lover," she said softly, anticipating the look of surprise, hurt and then anger that would suffuse Damon's face when he heard Elena had taken the money and bailed on him.

Or at least, that was what she was going to tell him…

*****************************************D&E*****************************************

**Okay guys, yes Kat is up to all her old dastardly tricks! She's one seriously messed up puppy, but there are reasons for her madness as well. Anyhow, the next chappie will answer the questions of will Damon (or won't he) fall for Katherine's trap? Will Elena suffer for it? Will Damon see through it? And last, but not least…Will Klaus and Elijah just take the money and leave Kat alone or will they still come for her?**

**All of these questions will be answered in the next installment of All's fair in Love and War.**

_****Now if you'd click that little blue button and feed my musie beast. Reviews are her addiction and when she's fat and happy, she feeds me and my creativity. Yes, she is a greedy little beeyatch, but she's on fire right now, so we must keep the beast happy! Lol! ;) ;)**_

_**Till next time guys,**_

_**Jen**_


	15. Chapter 15

**All's fair in Love and War **

**A fic by Angel's Blue Eyed Girl**

**Disclaimer: Okay, I own none of these characters, so please do not sue me. I like to take them out—play with them and then put them away—hopefully satisfied! ;)**

**Hey guys, I know it's been a bit since my last post, but please remember I'm working on like five or six fics right now…I have a few over on the Buffy/Angel/Angelus site that I'm working on, as well as TVD fics I have here. I'm not posting anything new until I wrap up *ALL* my unfinished fics and I'm working towards that goal, (slowly but surely) so bear with me (please) as I do that. Also...I know my replies to reviews have been atrocious, but (again) I have been working on all these fics and living real life, so I hope you understand. I am actually planning on getting on that today. But I'll thank you all in advance. To each person who actually takes the time to leave a review-thank you! Feedback means a lot to an author. It gives us a vibe on how the reader is seeing or comprehending the fic. Are we getting our point across with the reader? Feedback also feeds our inspiration. I can guarantee you-the more reviews from the readers-the faster that author will respond. It's like 1+1=2. The musie beast is fed by comments from her audience. So again-if you took that extra minute-we (me and my musie) thank you. :)**

**Jen**

**Alrighty-then…enough from me. On with the show and this takes up right where we left off. **

****************************************D&E****************************************

**Part 15: Bad Bargains**

**Salvatore Estate:**

Damon was in his study/office pouring himself a drink when Katherine found him.

"Drinking already?" she said, alerting him to her presence.

He turned, glass in hand and spotted her there, posed, leaning in the doorway. His body tensed and he took a long swallow of his bourbon. Great! He needed another go round with Kat like he wanted a visit to the proctologist!

He raised his glass. "Katherine. What can I do for you? And by that I don't mean being a pawn in your little scheme to play out your own twisted version of partner swap."

For a brief moment real pain flitted across her face and he thought of what he'd learned today about her past; empathy flared bright and hot in his chest, but he snuffed it out quick enough. She was poison and he knew it. He'd never let her get her claws into him ever again. There was a time when he would have done anything for her. All she had to do was be honest with him, but she hadn't. The cynic in Damon doubted Katherine was even capable of telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but.

"Nothing. Just thought I'd see if you've heard from Elena?" she said as she pushed off the frame and sauntered into the room as if she'd been invited.

Something in her face—the smile—struck him as wrong. She was smirking and that usually meant all kinds of bad; red flags and warning bells began to go off all over the place in Damon's head. Although she was aiming for nonchalant, it was obvious she had an agenda. There was something she wanted—no, was itching to tell him and Damon was sure he wasn't going to like it. Katherine was devious and a master manipulator. Look at the plot she'd tried to embroil Elena in. Had Elena not felt guilty…things could have gone horribly wrong. Damon couldn't even imagine how Stefan would handle hearing his wife had asked her sister to seduce him!

That plan had failed though, so what was she up to now?

Fortifying himself in preparation for another round with Kat, he quickly finished off his drink and poured himself a fresh one before answering. "I just walked in the door. I noticed she's not here. But, surely you know more about her whereabouts than I do. After all what have you been doing all day besides plotting?"

"Don't be an ass, Damon."

He snorted. "You try and strong-arm your own sister into seducing your husband just so you can worm your way back into my bed, but _I'm_ the ass?!" He gave a short sarcastic laugh. "That's rich, Kat, even for you."

She gave a halfhearted shrug. "What can I say? I wanted you. You used to want me too, if I remember correctly."

"Yeah, in another life." He finished off his drink in one long gulp. Being around Katherine always required a certain amount of numbness. "That was before you married my brother."

"Not exactly," she said and took his empty glass from his hand. "You wanted me when you came back." She refilled his drink with his favorite bourbon and took a sip. "You just chose to call it revenge." She handed him back his glass, licking her lips as Damon eyed her warily. "But if you're honest you'll admit there was a time…when you and I first began our affair…" She placed her palms on his chest softly. "We couldn't keep our hands off each other. It was more than just getting back at me and you know it."

Damon glanced down to where her palms rested on his chest before stepping away from her. "You know," he told her, shaking his head at the way she twisted everything, including his own motivations. "Just because you tell yourself something often enough, doesn't actually make it true, Katherine. I slept with you to break you and Stefan up and make you pay for betraying me. That was it. Nothing more, nothing less. If you thought it was anything other than that—that's your misfortune."

Katherine's face flushed red with fury and she went to slap him. "You're a son of a bitch!"

Damon caught her hand mid-air. "Hey, you can be mad at me…but don't bring my mother into this," he taunted, his icy blue eyes cold and distant. "She was a saint. Really. And if you knew me at all, you'd know that." He was so tired of her and her bullshit and he didn't care to hear any more of her vicious innuendos. So, with that parting salvo, he tossed Kat's hand away and left the room, leaving her behind to stare after him, her gaze burning bright with malicious intent.

***************************************D&E*************************************

Mystic Falls, Virginia:

Elena walked through the doors of 'The Originals' (the club owned by Klaus and Elijah) with single-minded purpose. She was here to pay off her brother's debt and that was it. Get in—get out. Just like any other mission. She patted the bag she had over her shoulder, feeling the bulk of the money inside soothed her fears. She paused just inside the door and scanned the large, flashy room. It was almost ten pm and the place was loud and crowded with people drinking and dancing. The atmosphere was muggy with all the undulating bodies on the dance floor and Elena was pretty sure she'd need a shower after this—actually, she'd need a shower after dealing with the Första brothers' period. They always made her skin crawl just sharing the same air space with them, but she didn't have a choice. Jeremy was in deep with them and she had to get him out of it. Then, and only then, would she be able to wipe the grime of this town and its memories off her and start over.

Possibly with Damon.

Elena couldn't help the smile that curled her lips at the thought of him. Her night with him had been amazing. Anything and everything she had ever wanted in a man…Damon possessed, in spades! He was gorgeous, fantastic in bed—Elena hadn't even known what an orgasm really was until Damon had shown her. Many-many times! She felt her face heat up and it had nothing to do with the temperature within the club. It had more to do with memories of his naked body—his kisses and the way his tongue made her crazy with lust! And how he fit so perfectly inside her—stretching her just right—it was as if she were made just for him.

The memory alone made her feel all warm and tingly.

And later… the way he opened up and shared bits and pieces of his past with her… it gave her hope that there might be a future for them after all, despite his history with Katherine. He had let down his walls and she had a distinct feeling he didn't do that with many people. It made her feel special and she couldn't wait to explore the feelings between them. But first, she had to put this business behind her. Without Jeremy to threaten her with, Katherine had no leverage, and she would be free to be completely honest with Damon—without dragging him into the mess that was her family.

Elena was brought out of her musings when she spotted Niklaus Första sitting in a booth at the very back of the club. He was surrounded by a bevy of beautiful women and Elena found it disturbing how so many women could let themselves be attracted to a monster like him simply because he was handsome and had money. She wondered if they knew the 'real' Klaus. Would they still look so happy to be in his company?

She made her way through the throng of people towards his table. He had an entourage of people with him and his party was more than a little boisterous. For a second her insecurity kicked in and she hesitated, (Elena hated making a scene) but then she thought of how Klaus was threatening her brother. How he was trying to manipulate her to find Katherine (yeah she knew that was his end game) and it bugged her. She wouldn't be his puppet. The ARMY had taught her to persevere. To face her enemy, look them in the eye and never-ever back down. With that in mind, Elena gathered her courage and marched straight towards his table. She ducked under the velvet rope separating Klaus's booth from the rest of the club and headed right for her target when a suave looking African-American man in a perfectly tailored suit grabbed her by the arm, halting her progress.

"And just where do you think you're going?" he asked, his eyes raking over Elena and her outfit of hip hugging jeans, her regulation boots and a simple army green Henley.

Elena glanced down to where he held her, (debating whether to take him down) before looking back up at the man, brow raised. She gave him a too sweet smile before letting him know how little she appreciated his hand on her. "I'm only going to ask you once to let go of me before I make you."

The man flashed a face full of pearly whites, clearly not believing Elena could actually do him any harm. "Really?" he asked, chuckling.

"I'd listen to her if I were you, Marcel. Elena packs quite a punch."

Elena and the man she now knew as Marcel turned to spy Elijah standing behind them.

"Good," Elena said. "You're the one I wanted to talk to anyways." She glanced down to where Marcel still held on to her. "Why don't you tell your goon here to let me go and we can settle this now."

Elijah shrugged. "Marcel is _not_ my goon as you put it. He's Niklaus's man."

"So he's stupid," Elena quipped. "Then you better remind him I _can_ and _will_ hurt him if he doesn't get his hands off me right now."

Marcel let out a snort. "Yeah right," he said, tightening his grip on Elena's arm. "You're about a buck ten dripping wet. Like you could—"

His words were cut off by a cry of pain when Elena ran out of patience and in a smooth, lightning fast move, she grabbed the wrist not holding her and twisted it brutally. Marcel's knees buckled and Elena used her foot to hook his ankle, taking him off his feet completely. He landed on his ass, with Elena standing over him, wrenching his arm up and behind his back at an angle that looked more than a little painful.

Elijah made no move to help. In fact he smiled rather tauntingly. "You can't say I didn't warn you, Marcel," he said to the man who now looked like he would rather be anywhere than where he was presently.

The ruckus garnered Klaus's attention and within moments he was standing next to Elena, his expression one of icy fury. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Unless you want your brother to suffer a similar fate as my friend here, I suggest you leave off breaking my man's arm."

Elena let Marcel go and stepped back, allowing the humbled, but angry man to get off his knees and back to his feet. Marcel shook off the pain and immediately took a step towards Elena, revenge and retaliation his clear purpose, but Klaus put a restraining arm on his bicep, halting the man from proceeding.

"Let it go, my friend. Chalk it up to an experience learned." Klaus glanced at Elena, his smile not quite reaching his eyes. "It took me three days to forget our little war hero. Consider yourself lucky."

Elijah took that moment to intercede. "Well then, if we're all done pounding our chests?" He waved a hand towards the hallway that led to the back office of the club. "I believe Elena and I have a few matters to discuss."

Klaus's jaw tightened. "Not just you and Elena, brother. I believe I have a stake in the conversation as well."

"As you wish, Niklaus," Elijah said with a shrug.

Elena nodded and followed the brothers' down the hall, taking note of the ugly scowl on Marcel's face as he watched her leave. She'd made an enemy tonight and from the looks of the glare he sent her way, he wouldn't be forgetting his humiliation anytime soon.

Elena made a note to ask Damon to have his investigator check him out.

*************************************D&E**************************************

**Salvatore Estate:**

Damon reclined on his bed, his cell phone to his ear as he talked to the one woman in his life he trusted above all others. He laughed at something she said, his love for her transforming his face as he laughed. "Yeah, whatever Bon Bon," he replied, grinning, "you just hate the fact that you've never got to take my irresistible body out for a test drive and you know it."

"Unh-huh," Bonnie replied over the phone. "Just like you hate the fact that I'm the only woman you've ever met that didn't drop my panties the minute I saw that sexy smile of yours."

Bonnie laughed and Damon joined in for a minute before saying, "Oh, so you admit my smile _is_ sexy."

"For your own sake I'm going to have to plead the fifth on that. I'm afraid your head might explode if I say yes."

Damon chuckled and settled himself more comfortably on his bed. "When are you going to get here, Bon? I know Paris is the city of love, but you know you're totally missed, right?"

"Paris has been a blast, but I'm ready to come home."

"So, when do you leave?"

"Well, we wrap up filming in two days," she told him. "I could be there by this weekend if you want."

"Oh, I want. I could use some bestie advice actually."

Bonnie gave a soft snort. "Like you've ever followed my advice! I was the one who told you not to go back and seduce Katherine. Remember?" Damon rolled his eyes, but before he could comment, Bonnie went on. "And did you listen? No. You went ahead with your plan and now look where you are. In deep shit with Katherine, hoping Stefan doesn't find out about your affair with her. You're dealing with thugs who kill people and if that wasn't enough—now you're sleeping with Kat's sister too?!" Bonnie paused to take a breath before letting him have it again. "Damon, what the hell are you doing? I leave you alone for six months to finish this movie and you completely blow up your life!"

"Jeez, Bonnie, why don't you tell me how you really feel?" he muttered a bit petulantly. He wanted her to be happy for him about Elena, but he could see why she was worried for him instead.

Bonnie's voice softened. "It's not that I don't wish this would all work out for you, D. You know I do, but you have to realize you're playing with fire here. Getting involved with Kat's sister could blow up in your face in the worst way possible."

Damon let out a long sigh. "You think I don't know that? But there's something about her…"

"That's what you said about Katherine, once upon a time. Remember?"

"It's different, Bon. Just come home. Meet her and tell me what you think. Right now, I'd trust your opinion more than my own. If you tell me she's playing me, I'll…" Damon trailed off as he debated the decision he was about to make. The thought of letting Elena go was not something he wanted to think about, but his best friend had a point—with the Gilbert twins—he seemed to be sadly lacking his wits when dealing with them. "If you think she's anything like Katherine, I'll back off. I promise," he finally conceded softly.

"I'll be there this weekend," Bonnie told him. "And for the record…I hope she's as amazing as you think she is. I want that for you. After everything you went through with her bitch of a sister…you deserve it."

Damon gave a husky laugh. "And that's why you maintain best friend status, Bon-Bon. You're great for my ego."

Bonnie giggled. "Yeah right, your ego is just fine. It certainly doesn't need any help from me to keep it inflated!" she teased. "And we both know the only reason I'm your best friend is you haven't found anyone else who can put up with you for as long as I have."

"Ouch, that hurts," Damon pouted.

"You'll get over it. It'd take more than that to get under your thick skin and you know it."

Damon laughed. "You know me so well."

"Too well," Bonnie returned. Someone called her name and after a brief conversation Bonnie got back on the line with Damon. "Gotta go, but I'll see you in a few days, okay? Just don't do anything reckless, Damon." Damon sighed and Bonnie pushed. "Promise me."

"Fine mother, I promise. Do you want me to pinky swear it as well?"

She chuckled. "Nope," she replied, popping the 'P' as he often did. "Your word will do. I know you'd never break a promise you made to me."

Damon heaved a sigh again. She was right. He'd known Bonnie since his days in Vegas and she was as close—if not closer than he was with his own brother.

They exchanged a few more words before disconnecting. Afterwards, Damon thought about everything Bonnie had said. He understood why she was distrustful of Elena. Bonnie had distrusted Katherine on sight and warned Damon about her, but he hadn't listened. Damon was hoping Bonnie would meet Elena and see what he saw in her. Bonnie was one of the most important people in his life. He loved her like a sister and if she didn't like Elena, it would put a damper on any relationship he was starting with the brunette beauty. And worse, if Bonnie outright warned him off Elena, was he really willing to walk away? Damon honestly wasn't sure.

***************************************D&E***************************************

The Originals' Bar:

Elena kept a firm grip on the satchel containing the cash as she followed Elijah to the club's back office. Klaus trailed after her and the hairs on the nape of her neck rose at having a predator like him at her back; every instinct she possessed was on high alert, ready to defend herself should he attack.

Elijah unlocked and opened a door marked 'Private' and Elena followed him inside the spacious office that looked like it belonged on the cover of Forbes magazine, rather than inside a raucous nightclub.

Elijah took his seat behind the large mahogany desk, while Elena sat in one of the plush chairs on the opposite side. Klaus sauntered over to the bar and poured himself a drink, watching her with cruel and cunning blue eyes.

"So," Elijah said, leaning back in his chair. "You're here to repay your brother's debt?"

Elena gave a brisk nod and put the bag on Elijah's desk. She unzipped it and began placing stacks of cash (hundreds bundled in ten thousand dollar increments) on the desk. At twelve, she stopped and leaned back in her chair. "A hundred and twenty thousand dollars. Paid in full and then some."

Elijah sat forward, brow raised as he surveyed the pile of money before him. "That's more than Jeremy owes."

"Why the extra?" Klaus chimed in.

"What does it matter?" Elena replied, rising to her feet. "You have your money. That's what you wanted. Leave my brother alone."

Klaus was suddenly right behind her, his hands on her shoulders forcing her back to her seat. "Not so fast love," he said almost teasingly. "The party's only just begun. Please. Stay awhile."

Elena shrugged him off. "I'm not here to party. I'm here to pay you a debt." Her eyes met Elijah's, but for once Elijah looked as scary as Klaus. "That's what you asked for."

"But it's not all we want and you know this," Elijah replied.

Elena knew they were talking about Katherine. And while she may not be happy with her sister…she was not about to give these evil assholes' her whereabouts. "Not my problem," she told him briskly, and again, she made move to leave.

But Klaus was on her before she could go anywhere. "Sorry, sweetheart, but it is," he growled, grabbing her again in a painful grip.

This time Elena was prepared for his assault, (in a flash) she was able to twist her body around, and before either Klaus or Elijah could react, she had the younger Första brother pinned face first on his brother's desk. "Sorry sweetheart, but it really isn't," she muttered, pressing Klaus's cheek hard against the wood. "Whatever beef you have with Katherine is just that—between you and Katherine. You have your money. Leave me and my brother out of it." She banged Klaus's head off the desk. "Got it?"

"Normally, I'd agree with you, Elena," Elijah said conversationally, as if she didn't have his brother's face mashed against his desk. "However…" Elena heard the distinct sound of a gun being cocked and her head shot up to see Elijah aiming a rather large firearm at her head. "In this instance we'll have to agree to disagree. If you know where Katerina is…that is very much a problem between us." He smirked. "One that can be negotiated…for the right information."

**************************************D&E***************************************

Salvatore Estate:

Katherine paced in her room. She was angry, frustrated and on the verge of doing something drastic. Damon was fucking her sister and it made her crazy with jealousy! She could not allow Elena to get with him. She was convinced she still loved Damon and if _she_ couldn't have him…no one could…especially not her little sister!

She glanced at the clock. Nine pm. Stefan was still at the hospital, and according to his message, he would probably be staying the night there. Another one of his 'kids' (as he called them) was having a hard time and of course her husband had to be right there for every disgustingly gut-wrenching moment of the pain.

What about her pain? Didn't she deserve his attention too? But no. He was never there for her. Instead he was always at the hospital. Day and night, it never changed, and while Katherine knew he saved lives with his work…it just never seemed to end. There was always someone who was sick and needed his care and he gave it without a thought to how neglected she felt.

That was one of the many reasons she had turned to Damon so readily when he returned.

The house was quiet as a tomb. The staff (including Lupe) had left hours ago for their own homes and families. Damon was in his room and would (more than likely) be avoiding her after their last little row. Elena was in Mystic Falls paying off those bastards' Klaus and Elijah. If she wanted to put her plan into motion, tonight would be a perfect night to do so. She picked up her cell to call Lucy, but hesitated. Lucy was a self-professed Wicca who supposedly knew how to use herbs and magic to get what you wanted. She had met the woman at a cocktail party a couple months ago and had been intrigued with her knowledge of herbs and how they affected the human body—especially the ones that supposedly took away inhibitions and made a man eager and willing to be more than a friend. Kat bit her lip, debating whether to make the call. She wanted Damon. That would be a successful end to this mission, but even if he denied her another romp with him, she (at least) wanted to put him in a vulnerable position and ruin Elena's chances with him. Using drugs to get results was wrong, and she knew it, but if she wanted to make this work, she might have to use unorthodox means to achieve that goal.

She couldn't help but be concerned about the end game. If her plan failed…she'd lose everything. However, if it succeeded…

Katherine had never backed down from a challenge. Damon was her Mount Everest. She wanted to conquer him. She dialed the number.

"Lucy," she said when the line was answered, "hey it's Katherine. I need your help. I want some of that herb we talked about—the one that makes a man unable to control his…um…baser instincts. Can you bring it to me?" She paused, smiling. "And to sweeten the pot…I'll definitely make it worth your while if you can get it to me tonight. How does a fifty thousand dollar deposit into your checking account sound?"

Kat's smirk turned into a grin at Lucy's answer. "Fantastic. I'll see you in an hour."

As she hung up the phone Kat knew she was taking this to another level, but her jealousy refused to allow her sister to win on this. Elena would not have Damon. She imagined little sis's face when she came back from paying off Jeremy's debt and found Damon and her in bed together.

Katherine chuckled. Now that would be sweet revenge—the exact kind of retaliation Damon had originally planned for her. It was cruel and vicious, but effective. Katherine would give him an A plus for creativity. However, she wondered how Damon would feel when his own plan was used on him.

She couldn't wait to find out…

***********************************D&E**************************************

**Okay everyone, I know this chappie is overdue, but please remember I'm working on like 5 fics right now trying to get them *all* finished! I promise this will continue to be updated until it's complete. I have outlines of the next five chappies—I just need to flesh them out and make them complete and then this fic will be finished. Thank you to all of you who've stuck with me. I know I'm crazy (really!) but all of your support means the world to me.**

**Now, if you'd click that blue button and feed my little monster (I call her musie) then she'll feed my creativity and we'll all be fat, happy and satisfied! ;) ;) **

**Thanks again guys… Huge hugs to each and every one of you!**

**Jenna**


	16. Chapter 16

**All's fair in Love and War **

**A fic by: Jenna AKA: Angel's Blue Eyed Girl**

**Rating: M**

**Disclaimer: I own none of these characters. I just like to take them out and play with them and hopefully, put them away with a big happy!**

**A/N: Thank you to each and every one of you who take the time to leave a comment or review. It feeds my musie and I really appreciate it. On another note: I'd like to give a shout out to some amazing authors here. My wonderful friend Carol, (Scarlet 2112) has some amazing A/H fics here. They're inspiring, you should really check them out. And this woman needs no introduction…I have recently noticed my long-time bud, Sar, (Bad Boys Are Best) has re-posted her 'You Know I'm No Good'. Let me tell you, if you have not read it—you simply *have* to! It-is-AMAZING! Of course morvamp is always outstanding—she's been here almost as long as I have. ;) And Danni1989 is a sweetie who writes some delicious smut! Lol! :) Her one shot marathon 'How Do You Want It?' is a plethora of naughty one shots! Love it! You go, Dani. :) **

**I'd say more, but there are so many authors here now that I don't know…but I promise to start trying to read your stuff and comment.**

**Anyhow, hope everyone is having a great day!**

_**Jenna**_

**Now, enough of me…on with the show, eh?**

******************************************D&E****************************************

**Part 16: **

**Illusions and Shattered Innocence**

**The Originals' Bar: Elijah's office.**

When Elijah aimed that hand cannon at her, Elena was sure her heart was about to thunder right out of her chest. With a critical eye, she stared down the gaping barrel of Elijah's gun, (which, if she wasn't mistaken, was a short barreled Smith & Wesson 44 Magnum) It was the kind of gun that would blow a hole in her chest the size of a tennis ball should Elijah fire. Elijah cocked the pistol and her stomach dropped while a sickening feeling of fear gripped her. It was like being in the war all over again, facing down insurgents who wanted nothing more than to kill her, but (as she had before in Iraq and Afghanistan) she faced her fear and worked through it; never giving in.

She swallowed the urge to run and turned her attention to Elijah. Elena watched him carefully, acting as casual as she could considering the circumstances, all the while trying to figure a way out of her predicament. "Do you really think this is the first time someone has pointed a gun at me?" she asked with a shrug. "I think you've forgotten, I've been to Iraq. I've faced Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Let me tell you, Elijah,..." She sneered his name, "once you've seen children wired with IUD's…a gun in the face is pretty much nothing!" Elijah seemed interested in her story and Elena made sure to keep his attention on what she was saying—not what she was about to do. "I've been shot at, had babies with toys try and blow me up. I've had flowers delivered that were wired to kill...so that gun...it's not really scary. Sorry," she told him, and then, before Klaus or Elijah knew what she was about, she'd yanked Klaus to his feet and held him in front of her, kind of like a human shield.

"Now, I said I was sorry...right? So just consider that apology all around as I tell you how this is going to go," she said, focusing on Elijah while keeping Niklaus firmly in control—as her training had taught her, "Elijah, you have a choice. This can go one of two ways. Option one: you let me walk out of here. No harm, no foul. You get your money, regain whatever honor you ever had and your brother here remains intact. Or you can choose option two: You try and shoot me. And while that sounds good in theory…the reality is your bullet will most likely hit your brother first, destroying at least one of his major organs as it rips through his body. Now you could hope that it travels through him and into me, but that's not a sure thing and you know it."

Sweat beaded on her forehead as she wrapped one arm around Klaus's neck and the other had his arm tugged up high and tight behind his back, painfully disabling him. She began inching back to the door, keeping him under control despite his rage and superior size.

He was her one and only ticket out of this situation and she was holding onto to him no matter what!

"So, what's it gonna be, Elijah? Option one, we go our separate ways and call this one a draw. Or…" Elena tightened her hold on Klaus's windpipe making him choke, letting Elijah know without words she had holds that could incapacitate his brother in seconds. "Option two, you try and kill me, but kill your brother instead?" Klaus spewed a whole diatribe of vulgar curses at her while he struggled to free himself, however, Elena was a trained Army Ranger. He wasn't going anywhere. "Your choice," she reminded Elijah, "but make it quick because your brother is seriously beginning to piss me off, and if you take too long, I might just break his neck for the fun of it!"

Klaus fumed and demanded that Elijah ignore Elena's threat and "shoot this bitch already!"

Elijah was furious, that was obvious by the muscle ticking in his jaw, but he had a cooler head than Klaus and set the weapon down. "Well played, Elena," he said a small smile ghosting across his face. "You are far more interesting than I gave you credit for." He took the money and began putting it back in the duffel bag. "Consider your brother's debt paid in full."

Klaus's eyes bulged comically. "The hell it is!" he snarled. "Elijah, we are not going to let this bloody wench just waltz out of here after this. If you don't put a bullet in her, I swear I'll—"

His words were cut off with a gag as Elena choked him again. "Why don't you just shut up already," she hissed. She returned her attention to Elijah. "Glad to see you're a little smarter than your brother. Now slide the gun across the desk—nice and easy or I'll snap his neck."

"But then you'd lose your advantage," Elijah replied, but did as she asked. Standing he slid the heavy pistol across the desk and out of his reach, before resuming his seat behind the massive desk.

"It might be worth it," Elena quipped.

Elijah steepled his fingers before him, studying the brave young woman holding his brother as hostage. "How is it that you and Katerina are twins, yet so very different?"

"Doesn't matter. Whatever beef you have against my sister doesn't involve me or my brother." She jutted her chin towards the bag of cash. "Not anymore."

Elijah merely smirked at her. "But that's where you're wrong, Elena. You're still my link to her."

His words caused Elena's stomach to knot. "What the hell did Kat do to you to make you so fucking crazy?!"

"None of your bloody business!" Klaus snapped.

However, Elijah was in a talkative mood and decided to explain it to her. "Your sister came to my brother with a sad tale of woe about an abusive father. Niklaus, being the gallant knight that he is—"

Elena made a scoffing sound at that, and muttered, "Yeah right!"

Elijah ignored her as he continued as if she hadn't interrupted him. "Niklaus saved her. He made sure your father went to jail for thirty days and got Katarina out of that house."

Elena's eyes widened. She remembered that time. Her mother, Isobel hadn't been able to pay the bills by herself and they'd had their water and power shut off. Elena had had to sneak into the neighborhood gym and shower there. It had horrible, although they all had enjoyed the respite from John's abuse.

"You see, my brother was in love with her. And he wanted to give her the world, but that wasn't enough for Kat. No, she soon realized Klaus didn't control the money. I did. So, she set her sights on me. And of course, she made me believe she had feelings for me. I was torn. I didn't want to have a conflict with my brother over a woman, but your sister is quite convincing when she sets her mind to it, and after a time, I fell in love with her—would have done anything for her."

Niklaus took that moment to add his peace as well. "Your precious sister turned brother against brother. Nearly destroying our bond, before she stole fifty thousand dollars out of the safe and skipped town, leaving Elijah and I behind with nothing more than the shame of her memory and our rage to sustain us."

Elena sighed. She'd suspected as much, but to hear it plain was still disheartening. Why would Katherine do such a thing? She hated the way her sister constantly considered everyone else's feelings as unimportant. The only person she ever cared about was herself. However, that still didn't mean Elena would sit by—or worse—lead these two to Kat so they could hurt her.

"I'm sorry that happened, I really am," she said sincerely, "but again, it's not my problem. If you come after me or my family again, I will come after you just as hard. Understand that and let it go." With that parting shot, she shoved Klaus hard and kicked him in the back of his knee, causing the bigger man to stagger and fall. Using that diversion, Elena bolted out of the office and out the back door of the club, uncaring as the alarm was triggered. The wail of the alarm was all around her as she raced around the side of the building to where she'd parked. She quickly dug her keys out of her pocket, beeped open her door and got in. Her heart felt like it was going to pound right out of her chest and her eyes darted to and fro looking for Klaus or his men. Seeing no one, she started the car and peeled off with a squeal of tires before anyone could catch up to her.

Shaking with adrenaline, Elena's gaze continually checked the rear view mirror for several minutes after she'd escaped the Första brothers. Her Army training once again came in handy as she sped down the dark streets of the seedier side of Mystic Falls. She was certain she was being followed, but finally after several hair raising turns and no tail in sight, she relaxed. Giddy with excitement, Elena laughed out loud, flipped on the radio and eagerly made her way towards the highway that would take her back to Fell's Church…and Damon.

*****************************************D&E***************************************

Inside The Original's Elijah sat calmly behind his desk, while Klaus paced, ranting about Elijah allowing Elena to escape.

"What would you have had me do, brother, allow the girl to break your neck?"

Klaus turned angry blue eyes to his older sibling. "I would have had you shoot her where she stood!"

Elijah got to his feet and poured them both a drink. "She was using you as quite the effective shield, Niklaus. It wasn't worth the risk," he said handing Klaus his drink.

Klaus accepted the glass and downed it in one swallow. Elijah sipped his, watching his brother over the rim of the glass as he stalked across the room to the bar. Nik was still angry and it showed.

"I never thought I would want to wrap my hands around someone's neck and squeeze the life out of them as much as I do Katherine, but her sister…" Klaus poured himself another drink. "It's possible I want to kill Elena more." He raised his glass to Elijah, his smile sarcastic. "Congratulations brother, now you've allowed both Gilbert twins to screw us over and escape. Care to return the money and let the boy off as well?" He downed his drink angrily. "Might as well make it a Gilbert threesome!"

Elijah chuckled softly. "I have no intention of returning the money. That was Jeremy's debt and now it has been repaid. We have no more use for him. He was merely a means to an end anyhow. Elena on the other hand…I find her quite fascinating."

Klaus snorted. "You would."

Elijah shrugged, accepting his brother's acid comment without ire. "Be as snarky as you like, Niklaus, but you have to admit, the girl surprised us both with her skill and determination." He finished off his drink, but didn't refill his glass, (Elijah Första liked to have his wits about him at all times) instead he set it down at the desk and took his seat again. "Elena Gilbert is a worthy adversary."

"You sound like you actually admire the wench!"

"I do," Elijah admitted freely.

Klaus growled, his anger spiking again. "So that's it?! She plays a bit of G.I. Jane and now we're simply going to forgive the insult she and her sister have leveled upon us?!"

Elijah leaned back in his comfortable leather chair. "I didn't say that. I said I admired the girl. I never said I wasn't going to kill her."

At those words Klaus paused, his scowl lifting a bit. "And how do you plan to do that?" he asked, watching his brother like a hawk. "We don't even know where the chit lives."

Elijah grinned. "With the GPS tracker I had placed on her car the moment I saw her arrive."

A slow, wicked smile curled Klaus's lips. "And she'll lead us right back to Kat."

Elijah nodded. "Exactly. Elena and Katarina will pay."

"And I'm assuming you have a plan to make this happen?"

"Of course I do. We must simply be patient and wait for the right time to put it in play and I know that is not your strong suit, but you must follow my lead in this." Elijah gave his brother a wicked grin. "Trust me, Niklaus, we will have our revenge…on both the Gilbert twins."

Klaus chuckled maniacally. "Now that's the brother I know and love…"

*****************************************D&E****************************************

**The Salvatore Estate:**

"Katherine," Lucy said, handing the other woman a small brown vial, "this is extremely potent. I've ground the herbs into a fine powder, so they'll be virtually undetectable in liquids." She unscrewed the lid and tapped the vial a couple of times, filling the small black cap. "All you need is one cap full," she said, showing Katherine the exact amount, before dumping the white powder back into the bottle and screwing the cap back on. "Trust me, one cap of this will do the trick. He'll be rearing to go."

Katherine took the bottle and held the whiskey colored vial up to the light peering at its white contents. She smirked. "It looks like a vial of Coke," she teased.

Lucy frowned. "This stuff packs a hell of a lot more punch than cocaine could hope for, Kat. Remember that," she said. Lucy turned to leave, but paused at the door. "We're even now. Don't call me anymore."

"That's debatable," Katherine commented, studying her little secret weapon. She raised her gaze to Lucy. "Don't worry, Luce, the payment is already in your account." She wriggled her fingers in a little wave. "Thanks hon. See ya."

Lucy scowled, but walked out without further incident.

After Lucy left, Katherine took the herbs the woman had given her and added them to a bottle of Damon's favorite bourbon. Elena was gone and hopefully, she wouldn't be returning until the time was right. There was a niggling feeling of guilt for sending her sister to face Klaus and Elijah—Katherine knew how brutal they could be—but she quickly shoved that thought aside. Elena could take care of herself. Katherine rationalized her actions by telling herself she had fulfilled her end of their agreement, despite Elena failing miserably at her own part. Thanks to her, Jeremy's debt would be paid off. With that done, the only reason Elena had to come back was Damon. Katherine didn't try and fool herself—Elena would be coming back, of that she was sure. Damon was mesmerizing, and once you had a taste of him, you always came back for more. Kat was determined to block that love connection and force Damon see the error of his ways; if she had to drug him to do it—then so be it!

After putting the powder in his alcohol, she checked her makeup, fluffed her meticulous curls and pulled the black sweater she was wearing off her shoulder so that it looked accidentally sexy. Her black skinny jeans fit her like a glove, and she was pleased with the way her high heels looked with her outfit, but upon further thought, she decided to leave off the four inch Jimmy Choos and opted for bootie socks instead—trying for a more casual look. Damon would balk if she showed up looking like she out to seduce him. When she was satisfied with her appearance, she walked up the stairs to the third floor and made her way to Damon's room.

******************************************D&E****************************************

**Upstairs:**

Damon had just gotten out of the shower and was on the phone with Mason, when a soft knock sounded on his door. Thinking it was Elena, he told his buddy/personal investigator that he'd call him back and hurried to answer it. He was so excited to see her, he didn't bother slipping on a robe, opting to open the door in nothing but the low slung white towel wrapped around his waist instead.

To say who was more surprised, Katherine or Damon, would be debatable.

He was wet and nearly naked! Katherine's eyes widened and her pupils dilated in desire as she eagerly took in the perfectly sculpted muscles of Damon's beautiful body.

On the other hand, the smile that had been forming when he opened the door, turned to a scowl when Damon realized it was Kat standing there and not her twin.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he demanded.

Kat's lips curled up and her gaze lingered on Damon's naked chest for a moment, before meeting his angry blue eyes. "I live here," she told him flippantly, hoping for a reaction. After all, bad attention was better than none in her book.

Damon rolled his eyes at her reply. "Like I don't know that. I mean at my door. Why the hell are you knocking on my bedroom door, Katherine?" he asked, blocking her entrance into said bedroom with his body.

Realizing she wasn't gaining any points with her attitude, Kat switched gears. "Look, I wanted to talk—make peace," she told him, and then held out the bottle; it was one of his favorites.

"And you thought bringing me booze would get you in the door?"

She shrugged. "I figured it couldn't hurt." When it looked like he was going to slam the door in her face, Katherine turned her act up a notch. "Look, I just want to apologize," she said quickly.

At that Damon paused. He didn't trust her, but she was Stefan's wife and Damon knew his brother loved the manipulative little bitch, despite her character flaws, so he decided to hear her out. However, he wanted it clear what he thought of her and what she tried to do—just in case she hadn't heard him before. "Apologize for what? Trying to get your sister to have sex your husband? Or trying to fool me into thinking you were Elena so you could fuck me again?" He studied her for a moment, before asking, "Tell me, Kat. What are you really sorry for…your actions, or the fact that it didn't work and you got caught?"

"I'm sorry for everything, Damon," she said, using whatever meager acting skills she possessed to force her eyes to well up with tears. "What I tried to do…" She put her head down for a moment, letting her tears fall, before raising her gaze again, knowing Damon would see her wet cheeks and hopefully feel something—anything for her plight. "It was wrong. My only excuse is there's still a part of me that loves you and I was desperate to get you back. But I realize now that isn't going to happen and I just want to salvage whatever I can from the huge mess I've made." She hesitated for a moment, wiping at her eyes. "Please Damon. Can't we just start over or something?"

Damon didn't answer right away. Kat was damaged in the worst kind of ways, but he did feel bad about her childhood, Mason's report had finally given him a glimpse into the riddle that was Katherine Pierce, and he had to admit, she'd had a very rough time of it growing up. So, (even though it went against his better judgement) Damon decided to give her the benefit of the doubt, and take her apology at face value. "Look," he finally said, "I'm not going to tell Stefan what you did, and I appreciate you apologizing. And if you really want a fresh start…which means you're going to stop trying to seduce me at every turn…then I'm willing to start over too. Okay?"

"Thank you." Katherine held the bottle out again. "So…to solidify our new agreement…have a drink with me?"

Damon ran a hand through his wet hair with a sigh. "Fine, I'll meet you downstairs in a couple of minutes. Just let me get dressed."

"Why can't we just have our drink here?"

Damon brow shot up, before he let out a sharp little laugh. "Yeah, in my room…where my bed just so happens to be conveniently located!" He rolled his eyes. "I knew you weren't serious."

Frustrated with how slippery he was being, Kat let out a small huff of annoyance. "Jeez Damon, all I'm asking for is one drink and a minute of your time. What do you think I'm going to do, throw you down on the bed and force myself on you?!"

"At this point, I wouldn't put anything past you."

To argue further would only make him more suspicious, so Katherine capitulated. "Fine. I guess I can understand why you don't trust me." She shrugged. "I've kind of earned it. So, get dressed and we can have our drink wherever you feel comfortable. I really just want to talk—see if we can somehow manage to put all this behind us."

Damon wasn't sure that was possible, but for Elena's sake and his brother's he was willing to give it a 'Hail Mary' try. "Right," he told Kat. "I guess we can try. I'll meet you in the study in ten," he told her and promptly shut the door in her face.

Katherine stood outside his door for a moment. She wanted to be inside that room, watching him as he unveiled that body to her once again. Somewhere in her head, she knew she was obsessed, however, she was too far gone to stop now, and with one last longing look at the closed door, she turned on her heel and headed for the study.

She didn't care where it happened really, just as long as she had Damon once more tonight and ruined whatever was developing between him and Elena in the process.

********************************************D&E*****************************************

Elena was on the highway, about ten minutes outside Fell's Church, happily singing along with Mötley Crüe's 'Too Fast For Love' when her cell phone rang. She turned the stereo down and reached across the empty seat of her rented SUV to snatch up her phone. Seeing Stefan's name blinking there was a bit of a surprise, fear assailed her for a second. God, she hoped he didn't know about Kat's plan! Well, if he did…she had to face it sometime. Saying a quick prayer that she wasn't about to have her ass handed to her in an angry tirade, Elena answered.

"Hey Stefan, what's up?"

"Elena," he said, "I'm sorry to bother you, but I've been trying to reach Katherine and she isn't answering her cell or the land line. And when I called Damon…he didn't answer either." He paused and Elena's gut twisted at the hesitant, almost weary, yet hopeful sound of his voice. "So, I was thinking…maybe they're with you?"

A sick sense of dread filled Elena. What they hell had Katherine done now?!

"Elena?" Stefan prompted. "Have you talked to Damon or Katherine?"

She debated lying for all of about a second, but Elena had had it with all the lies. That was not the kind of person she was and she was done playing Kat's games. "Um…no, Stefan. I 'm not with them and I haven't talked to either Damon or Kat since I left the house earlier."

"Oh," was all Stefan said and she could just imagine his heavy brow lowering as that sunk in.

"But hey," she said, getting his attention. "Listen, I'm about ten minutes away from the house. How about I call you—or have Katherine call you when I get there. It could be she's just out by the pool and left her phone inside." Stefan made a *mm-hmm* sound, but she could hear the doubt there, so she added, "You know Kat. I think we could both agree that sometimes my sister doesn't remember people might worry about her. Right?"

Elena crossed her fingers and hoped she wasn't lying to him. Please don't let Kat (and worse—Damon) be up to no good.

"Thanks Elena," Stefan said. "I'm stuck here at the hospital. One of my kids with ALL—that's Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia—was readmitted into the ward this morning. She was in remission for the last year and this morning we realized the cancers' back."

He sounded so dejected, Elena felt immediate empathy. "Oh no. Stefan, I'm sorry."

Stefan let out a long sigh. "Elena, this little girl is eight years old and she's spent most of her life in a cancer ward. She's had years of chemotherapy which made all her hair fall out, but through it all, she's always been so positive. So full of hope. And then last year she had the bone marrow transplant that we'd been waiting for and she went into remission. Everything looked great. All her tests were positive—no complications, her body seemed to be accepting the graft, multiplying and recreating new cancer-free blood cells. But then today we realized her immune cells are attacking the new cell transplants and she's relapsing. Her family is beside themselves because now I'm going to have to do another aggressive round of chemotherapy…and this little girl's quality of life is about to change once again."

His voice cracked when he said, "This is the part of my job that I really hate and I just really needed to talk to Katherine tonight, but I can't reach her."

Elena swallowed thickly. "That's so awful. I can't even imagine doing what you do," she said softly. This was when she was reminded what an amazing man Kat's husband was and why she thought her sister was such a bitch! How did someone cheat on a freaking Saint for God's sake?!

"Stefan, I'm so sorry," she repeated. "I promise if I see Katherine, I'll make sure she calls you. Okay?"

"Thanks and I'm sorry to dump all that on you, but…" he paused and then admitted, "talking to you about it has helped." He chuckled softly. "This is where Damon would tell me to stop bitching because I love what I do more than anything."

Elena felt herself smiling too, because she could *so* see him saying that. "Then I concur. Now get back in there, Dr. Salvatore. I'm sure your patient has a better chance with you by her side."

She could almost *hear* Stefan smiling. "Will do."

"Hey, Stefan," she said before he hung up.

"Yeah?"

Elena wet her lips. "I just wanted to remind you that while you may not win every battle, each and every time you make one of those kids smile…you're winning part of the war. Just remember that. Okay?"

There was a long pause and then, "Thank you, Elena. That means a lot," Stefan said thickly before he disconnected the call.

Elena let out a long sigh. Her sister was an idiot. Stefan was sweet, handsome and he loved Kat. Yeah, Damon was (by far) the more attractive, sexier and exciting brother…but that was Elena's opinion. Plus, Kat had thrown all that away for the security Stefan offered. So why was Kat really trying to destroy her marriage to capture a dream that was long gone? It made no sense. But then again, not much of anything Katherine did made sense to Elena. Well, except her sister's obsession with Damon. Now that, Elena could understand.

Thinking of her sexy blue eyed lover made Elena's heart race and with a small smile, she pressed the accelerator down a little harder and sped just a little quicker towards the man she was pretty damned sure she was head over heels in love with.

*****************************************D&E**************************************

**The Salvatore Estate:**

The room was sweltering. Perspiration ran down his temples and Damon felt like he was in some kind of Native American sweat lodge, he was so damned hot! The tingle in his belly—which seemed to travel lower with each second—was making him feel more than a little uncomfortable, and then there was Katherine, who was steadily slipping closer and closer to him on the big leather couch in the study. In a rush of clarity, Damon suddenly realized how intimate the situation was getting.

One more scoot and she'd be in his lap!

"I'll be back in a second," he said quickly and surged to his feet only to have the room spin with a sudden and brutal ferocity that made his eyes cross and had him falling backwards into the couch. He blinked a few times to try and make the world stop spinning. "Shit," he muttered, wiping a hand across his brow.

"What's wrong?" Kat asked crawling right up next to him and putting her hands on his chest. "Damon, are you okay?"

He was slipping into a kind lackadaisical bliss, but Damon instinctually resisted it. He shook his head to get his bearings back, but that just seemed to make the room go all topsy-turvy again. His head fell back on the back and he closed his eyes. "Um…not sure. I don't feel so good," he said.

Katherine leaned over him, worried. Lucy had said the herbs packed a punch—she hadn't thought it would make him sick though! That simply would not do.

"Damon?" she asked, gripping his chin and turning his face to her.

Damon moaned softly as his entire body flushed with heat. It was like every nerve in his body was suddenly on fire and all that heat seemed to be traveling south of his belt buckle. "What's happening to me?"

Kat noticed the sweat beading on his upper lip and glanced down to his lap. She smiled as she noticed the bulge there. Oh yeah, the herbs were working alright. She let her hand trail down his chest, feeling his muscles clench and release, her palm flattened on his belly and Damon flinched.

"Don't!" he snapped and tried to pull away, but his body was loose because of the drugs in his system and he flopped sideways allowing Katherine to slide even closer to him.

Katherine couldn't take her eyes off his erection. It was pressing up high and hard against the fly of his jeans, arousing her and making her wet. "Mmm, someone's happy to see me," she murmured, licking her lips, eager to get him out of those jeans and into her hand and body. Her hand slid to the rock hard bulge there. "Here, let me help you with that."

When she squeezed him, Damon reacted like a scalded cat. "What the fuck are you doing, Katherine?!" he yelped, leaping away from her. His flailing caused him to fall off the couch and land on his hands and knees. It dawned on him then that he was utterly wasted and not by his own design. He turned and glared at her over his shoulder. "What the hell have you done to me?"

****************************************D&E**************************************

Elena waved to the guard as he buzzed her through the gates of the Salvatore estate. She appeared far more easy going than she was feeling. Truth was, she was beginning to get worried. After Stefan's call, she'd been calling Damon almost non-stop—he had yet to answer—and Elena knew that was not like him. She barely resisted putting the pedal to the metal (like she'd been doing ever since she got off the phone with Stefan) and had to keep her cool as she maintained a safe speed up the road that led to the huge Boarding House.

If Katherine had done something to him… Elena wasn't sure how she'd react. She only knew it wouldn't be good.

****************************************D&E***************************************

**Inside the study: **

"Katherine!" Damon growled, "I asked you a question. What the fuck did you do to me? And don't say nothing, because we both know that isn't true." He grumbled his accusation as he scrambled away from the couch and finally got back to his feet. His knees were wobbly and his entire body was on fire. He was so heated, he even felt like his eyeballs were melting and his cock was so damned hard, it could probably cut glass at this point!

Yeah. He'd been drugged and he damned well knew it!

Katherine stood up and slipped her sweater over her head, exposing her breasts, encased and displayed to perfection in a seductive black and red demi bra.

Damon let out a small growl as his body responded despite his desire to remain unaffected.

"You drugged me! I knew I should have never trusted you," he snarled and stumbled away from her and the unholy temptation of her body—which was far too much like Elena's for his liking!

Kat sped around the couch and cut off his retreat. "Damon, why are you fighting it? Just let yourself go," she cooed, unbuttoning her pants.

"Stop that!" he snapped when he saw what she was doing.

Kat pushed him back and Damon staggered, he tripped over the ottoman and fell, landing on his back. Katherine was quick to slither out of her pants and in a heartbeat she'd straddled him. Damon tried to fight her off, but he was so clumsy, she easily outmaneuvered his hands and in seconds she had his shirt tugged off his body.

"No!" Damon groaned, fighting her every step of the way. She grinded herself down on him and he hissed in aggravated pleasure. He hated what she was doing to him and in an effort to avoid her, he grabbed her hips and arched his back in an attempt to buck her off him, but all that did was put his lower body in contact with hers. Lust zinged through him and he gasped, struggling harder when his entire body jolted from the contact.

"You fucking bitch!" he panted. "I hate you!"

Kat placed her palms flat on his naked chest and leaned down, her curls falling around them and creating a curtain of hair. Her nails raked his nipples as she kissed up his neck and across his jaw until she came to his lips. "Hate me all you want, but I'm going to have you…" she whispered, nipping at his lush bottom lip, "you might as well enjoy it lover."

It was happening. Despite his desire to stop it and Damon was utterly confounded! The possibility of being raped in his life was something he had never faced. Rape meant a man trying to force himself on him, and Damon had never put himself in a position where a man could do that to him; the idea of a woman doing it to him had never occurred to him. Yet here he was, fighting off Katherine while drugged on God knows what. His erection told him it was Viagra or something like that, but the euphoric feeling he was experiencing said it might be GHB.

Whatever it was—it was a date rape drug and Damon was furious he'd fallen into her trap!

Her hands went to the fly of his jeans and she began to unbutton him. "Quit struggling Damon. You know you want me," Katherine purred as she slipped her hand inside his pants to grip his penis.

Damon's head banged off the floor as he jerked with the feeling of her hand—any hand wrapped around the turgid length of his painful erection. However, he still had the presence of mind to correct her on one thing.

"You're wrong, Kat. I don't want you…" he muttered as she started to slide her hand up and down his shaft, making him grit his teeth in an effort to deny what his body was calling for. "I want Elena. Only Elena."

******************************************D&E**************************************

Neither Damon, nor Katherine heard the soft footsteps as they approached the study. It was only when a loud voice came from the doorway with, "Oh my God, Katherine! What the hell are you doing?" that either of them realized Elena was home.

Both Damon and Katherine's heads swung towards the voice, and while Katherine scowled fiercely when she spotted her sister standing there, Damon smiled, relief flooding his body.

"Help me," he entreated in a slurred voice, laying there half naked and utterly loose and relaxed, "she drugged me."

Elena saw red. Kat tried to make some kind of excuse and blame it on her and Damon's history, but Elena could see what was going on…Damon was fighting to get away and Katherine wasn't letting him go.

"You crazy psycho bitch!" she snarled and yanked her nearly naked sister off Damon's prone body. Elena was angrier than she'd been in a very long time and for the first time ever, she didn't back down when Katherine started yelling at her. No, this time she wasn't having it.

"Elena this is none of your business!" Kat shouted.

"It's completely my business," Elena replied heatedly, and to both her and Katherine's surprise, she shoved her sister hard, sending Kat reeling backwards. "Touch him again and I'll wreck you. I swear to fucking God I will, Kat!"

With her plan ruined, Katherine grabbed up her clothes and fled the room. "You're going to pay for this Elena," she snarled as she ran away, but Elena didn't put much stock in her threat. She was quickly learning her sister liked to threaten, but she'd never come at her head on. No, Katherine's attacks would be insidious and Elena was sure she'd never really be able to fathom how depraved her sister could be after what she'd witnessed tonight!

Her eyes landed on Damon. He was almost naked, glassy eyed and trembling. "Damon!" she cried and rushed to his side. She went to her knees beside him and cradled his head in her lap. "Are you okay?" she asked, brushing the hair back from his face.

Damon's incredible blue eyes blinked open and when he saw her above him, a slow, sexy smile curled his lips upwards. "I am now," he said and his voice was so slurred, Elena winced. He was high as a kite, but at least he seemed happy now.

"Oh, you are huh?"

He nodded and his hand went behind her neck and brought her mouth down to his. "I'm hard as a rock, aching Elena and I need you and here you are…" He kissed her seductively, letting his tongue sweep along her lips for a moment before pulling back. He smirked again. "Oh yeah…I'm happy. Take me upstairs Elena and let me show you just how happy I am…"

******************************************D&E*************************************

**Okay guys, there's the next chappie. Kat is an evil beeyatch isn't she? She will be getting hers—trust me. I know all of you were scared Damon would be trapped by her, but I hope you like the way this played out. I love the idea of Elena saving him—like she should have when Rebekah had him! Right? Anyhow, this one is winding down…about four more chappies to go. I want to thank you all for the support and love shown for this fic. You guys rule! **

**Huge hugs,**

**Jenna**


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